tihvaxy  of t:he  t:  heolcjical  ^emmarjp 

PRINCETON    .   NEW  JERSEY 


PRESENTED  BY 

V/alter   D.    ^  Wagoner 

BX  7240  .B35  1916 
Barton,  William  Eleazar, 

1861-1930. 
The  law  of  Congregational 

nsaofi  /  William  F:lfia7ar 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Arciiive 

in  2009  with  funding  from 

Princeton  Theological  Seminary  Library 


http://www.archive.org/details/lawofcongregatOObart 


THE  LAW 
OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 


BOOKS  ON  CHURCH  POUTY 

by 
WILLIAM  E.  BARTON 

POCKET  CONGREGATIONAL  MANUAL 
Cloth,  $  1 .00    Flexible  Leather.  $  1 .50 

THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 
8vo.  Cloth.  $2.50 

ADVANCE  PUBUSHING  COMPANY 
Chicago 

THE  PURITAN  PRESS 
SubleKe,  Illinois 

THE  PILGRIM  PRESS 


THE  LAW 

OF 

CONGREGATI O  N  AL 
USAGE 


WILLIAM  E.  BARTON,  D.  D.,  LL.  D. 

LECTURER   OH   ECCLESIASTICAI.  LAW   IN  CHICAGO  THEOLOGICAL 
SEMINARY.  AFFILIATED  WITH  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CHICAGO;   MIN- 
ISTER OF  THE  FIRST  CHURCH  OF  OAK  PARK,  ILLINOIS;  EDITOR  OF 
THE  ADVANCE 


CHICAGO 

ADVANCE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

SUBLETTE,    ILLINOIS 

THE  PURITAN  PRESS 

1916 


Copyright,  1915 
By  WILLIAM  E.  BARTON 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DEDICATED  WITH 
ESTEEM  AND  APPREQATION 
TO 
FRANK  K.  SANDERS.  CHARLES  S.  NASH.  WILUSTON 
WALKER.  FRANK  KIMBALL.  NEHEML\H  BOYNTON. 
WILLIAM  W.   MILLS.  HENRY  A.  STIMSON.    OLIVER 
HUCKEL.  LUCIEN   C.  WARNER.  CHARLES  S.  MILLS. 
ROCKWELL    H.    POTTER.   JOHN    M.    WHITEHEAD. 
HENRY  M.  BEARDSLEY.  HENRY  H.  KELSEY.  EDWARD 
D.  EATON.  ARTHUR  H.  WELLMAN.  RAYMOND  CAL- 
KINS. AND  TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  SAMUAL  B.  CAPEN 
WHOSE  LABOR  AND  FELLOWSHIP  I  SHARED 
DURING  THE  THREE  YEARS  OF  THE  WORK  OF 
THE  COMMISSION  OF  NINETEEN  ON  POUTY.  1910-1911 


PREFACE 

It  is  now  a  full  half  century  since  Dr.  Henry  M.  Dexter 
published  his  "Congregationalism:  What  It  Is;  Whence  It 
Is;  How  It  Works."  During  these  fifty  years  several 
briefer  works  and  one  large  volume  on  our  polity  have  ap- 
peared, but  nothing  that  takes  the  place  of  that  notable 
treatise,  now  long  since  out  of  print.  If  any  other  anni- 
versary than  the  semi-centennial  of  Dr.  Dexter's  great  book 
were  needed  to  suggest  the  fitness  of  a  modern  work  on 
the  subject,  such  an  event  could  easily  be  found  in  the 
swift  approach  of  the  Ter-centennary  of  the  Landing  of 
the  Pilgrims. 

Many  changes  have  occurred  in  our  polity  in  the  last 
fifty  years.  Other  changes,  doubtless,  will  occur  in  the 
years  to  come.  Ours  is  a  growing  polity,  and  the  time  will 
never  come  when  it  can  be  treated  as  a  completed  study. 
But  the  notable  changes  wrought  by  the  National  Council 
in  1913,  and  the  general  plans  for  the  missionary  organiza- 
tions adopted  in  1915,  register  the  logical  consummation  of 
some  movements  that  have  been  in  evolution  among  us, 
and  enable  us  to  know  in  part  and  to  prophesy  in  part.  Our 
denominational  development  may  be  considered  as  having 
arrived  at  a  degree  of  completeness  so  far  as  these  recent 
changes  are  concerned.  There  is  not  likely  to  be  a  better 
time  than  now  for  the  consideration  of  our  progress  as  a 
denomination  in  the  matter  of  government  and  adminis- 
tration. 

Five  years  ago  the  author  issued  his  pocket  Congrega- 
tional Manual,  now  in  its  seventh  edition.  The  present 
work  is  not  designed  in  any  way  to  make  that  book  less 
necessary  or  useful  than  it  has  proved  to  be.  Very  few 
paragraphs  are  identical  in  the  two  books.  The  present 
large  volume  leaves  three  of  the  four  divisions  of  the 
Manual  untouched — those  on  Parliamentary  Law,  Docu- 
mentary Forms,  and  Orders  of  Service.     This  book  is  in 


viii         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

some  sort  an  enlargement  of  the  remaining  section  of  the 
Manual,  that  on  Congregational  Theory  and  Practice.  In 
this  regard  it  sustains  to  the  author's  Pocket  Manual  essen- 
tially the  same  relation  that  Dexter's  "Congregationalism" 
and  Ross's  "Church-Kingdom"  sustained  to  their  respective 
Handbooks. 

Yet  this  is  not  all  the  author  has  endeavored  to  accom- 
plish in  the  present  work.  Ever  since  the  publication  of 
his  Pocket  Manual  he  has  cherished  the  hope  and  purpose 
of  writing  a  book  which  might  show  not  only  what  Con- 
gregational Polity  is,  but  also  how  it  has  come  to  be  what 
it  is.  Some  of  our  denominational  methods  can  be  rightly 
evaluated  only  in  the  light  of  their  development.  Some  of 
our  present  customs  may  not  be  permanent;  and  if  we  do 
not  return  by  the  way  whence  we  have  come,  a  knowledge 
of  that  way  may  at  least  assist  us  in  our  progress  toward 
a  more  stable  method. 

This  book  is  not  a  history  of  Congregationalism,  nor 
even  a  history  of  Congregational  Polity.  But  it  seeks  to 
set  forth  current  Congregational  usage  with  a  sufficient 
historic  background  to  afiford  a  basis  of  judgment  concern- 
ing its  progress.  To  this  end,  the  principal  topics  discussed 
contain  not  only  the  author's  own  judgment  of  current 
usage,  but  also  quotations  from  eminent  authorities,  both 
of  the  present  and  the  past.  In  many  instances  these  quota- 
tions express  the  same  general  view  as  that  of  the  author, 
and  tend  to  establish  a  consensus  of  opinion.  In  other 
instances  they  are  quoted  as  showing  how  customs  have 
changed  or  are  in  process  of  changing.  It  is  earnestly 
hoped,  and  fully  expected,  that  no  careless  reader  will  re- 
gard the  author  as  undervaluing  the  contributions  which 
earlier  writers  have  made  to  Congregational  Polity  because 
in  some  instances  he  records  a  different  method  than  that 
which  they  recorded.  As  they  set  forth  faithfully  the  theory 
and  practice  of  their  own  day,  so  the  author  endeavors  to 
do  in  his  day.  As  not  everything  recorded  by  them  proved 
permanent,  so  not  every  method  or  custom  herein  recorded 


PREFACE « 

will  be  permanent.  It  is  enough  if  each  in  his  own  day 
perform  a  needful  service. 

A  word  may  be  said  as  to  the  literary  form  in  which  the 
subject  matter  is  presented.  Each  topic  is  introduced  in  a 
question.  This  method  is  chosen  partly  because  of  the 
advantage  of  a  direct  approach  to  the  topics  considered, 
and  partly  because  many  of  these  topics  came  to  the  author 
in  this  form,  and  are  therefore  actual  questions  that  have 
risen  in  the  experience  of  pastors  and  churches,  some  of 
them  not  answered  adequately  in  books  hitherto  available. 
While  the  author  has  not  been  unmindful  of  the  possible 
disadvantage  of  following  this  method  throughout,  and 
might  have  preferred  in  the  case  of  some  of  the  topics  to 
have  employed  another  form,  it  has  seemed  well  to  follow 
a  uniform  style  with  respect  to  the  introduction  of  the  sub- 
jects. In  the  later  editions  of  Dr.  Dexter's  notable  work 
appeared  an  appendix  containing  a  list  of  questions  which 
had  been  propounded  to  him  in  the  years  of  his  useful  serv- 
ice to  the  churches,  and  these  with  the  answers  form  an 
exceedingly  valuable  part  of  his  book,  as  all  who  have 
used  it  are  aware.  Recent  years  have  given  rise  to  many 
questions,  and  perhaps  there  is  no  principal  topic  in  Con- 
gregational usage  which  has  not  been  presented  to  the 
author  at  one  time  or  another.  In  the  five  years  since  the 
Pocket  Manual  was  issued,  he  has  been  called  into  counsel 
in  the  matter  of  the  organization  of  churches,  and  of  the 
reorganization  of  district  associations,  state  conferences, 
and  the  National  Council.  This  service,  as  it  has  been  as 
varied  as  it  well  could  be,  and  it  is  hoped  that  the  author 
has  been  able  to  put  into  this  book  some  principles  which 
he  has  learned  out  of  a  somewhat  wide  experience,  and 
which  will  prove  of  real  value  to  others. 

A  large  portion  of  this  book  consists  of  actual  questions 
that  have  been  asked  by  ministers  and  churches,  and  the 
actual  answers  that  have  been  given  them.  The  people  who 
asked  the  questions  did  not  know  that  they  were  contrib- 
uting to  the  making  of  a  book,  and  were  less  careful  to 


X  THE  LAW   OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

divide  their  questions  from  all  others  that  might  have  been 
asked  than  they  were  to  get  the  information  which  might 
meet  their  immediate  requirements.  In  the  editing  of  the 
material,  an  effort  has  been  made  to  eliminate  needless 
duplication ;  but  I  have  still  preferred  to  treat  each  case 
with  adequate  fullness,  even  at  the  risk  of  incidental  repe- 
tition, than  to  bring  the  subject  matter  into  too  severe 
bondage  to  precise  logical  division.  As  a  consequence,  there 
are  not  many  cross-references  in  this  book,  a  feature  which 
I  hope  will  be  counted  a  sufficient  virtue  to  excuse  what- 
ever duplication  of  material  may  appear, 

I  have  not  labored  to  make  this  book  large,  but  to  keep 
it  within  reasonable  limits  of  size.  I  realized  at  the  outset 
that  the  volume  would  be  large,  and  must  be  large ;  there  is 
no  call  for  another  small  book  on  this  topic.  It  is  large; 
but  there  lie  before  me  two  piles  of  manuscript,  one  of  that 
which  goes  into  the  book,  and  the  other  of  what  I  had 
gathered  for  it  but  have  been  able  to  eliminate,  and  the  pile 
that  is  not  to  be  printed  is  larger  than  the  other.  Doubtless 
I  should  have  done  better  had  I  interchanged  some  of  the 
material  in  the  two  piles;  but  I  have  done  my  work  under 
the  pressure  of  many  burdens,  pastoral,  editorial  and  pro- 
fessorial, and  if  I  had  waited  and  sorted  till  the  work  should 
have  been  perfect,  it  could  never  have  appeared  in  print, 
and  meantime  would  have  been  growing  till  the  reading 
world  of  church  polity  could  not  have  contained  the  books 
that  might  have  been  made  of  the  material. 

Let  me  call  attention  to  the  indexes,  for  on  them  I  have 
spent  much  labor,  and  I  wish  the  reader  to  avail  himself 
of  its  results.  This  book  is  primarily  a  text-book,  covering 
the  whole  field  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  self-governing 
churches.  But  it  is  also  a  work  of  reference,  intended  for 
the  man  who  wants  information  on  a  single  point,  and 
wants  it  quickly.  For  his  sake  I  have  made  a  table  of  con- 
tents containing  not  only  the  chapter-headings,  but  the  full 
list,  with  folio  numbers,  of  the  questions  treated  under  each 
general  caption.    This  in  itself  will  be,  I  hope,  a  quick  guide 


PREFACE  xi 

to  the  material  of  the  book.  As  for  that  material  itself,  it 
is  virtually  a  catechism,  with  practical  questions,  and  direct 
answers,  followed  in  some  instances  by  quotations  of 
authorities,  quickly  distinguished  from  the  body  of  the  text 
by  a  difference  in  type.  There  is  also  a  full  alphabetical 
index  of  subjects,  more  minute  than  the  table  of  contents. 
I  have  added  also  a  bibliography  and  a  list  of  authors  cited, 
and  under  the  latter  have  given,  not  only  the  pages  on 
which  quotations  from  those  respective  authors  may  be 
found,  but  the  matter  treated  in  each  separate  quotation; 
so  that  if  a  reader  remembers  to  have  seen  in  this  book  an 
important  quotation  from  an  eminent  authority,  and  that 
author  has  been  quoted  twenty  times,  the  reader  will  not 
be  compelled,  as  I  sometimes  have  been  in  the  use  of  other 
books,  to  make  nineteen  futile  explorations  before  finding 
what  he  wants. 

The  Bibliography  and  List  of  Authors  Quoted  do  not 
agree.  There  are  authors  whose  books  I  have  had  occasion 
to  refer  to  somewhat  frequently  but  from  which  I  have 
made  no  quotations;  and  there  are  authors  who  have  no 
proper  place  in  the  bibliography  of  this  subject  who  never- 
theless have  afforded  an  important  quotation  on  some  par- 
ticular topic  under  discussion. 

The  reader  will  discover  that  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
book  I  have  given  more  space  to  the  treatment  of  certain 
questions  than  the  proportion  which  might  have  been  indi- 
cated by  the  first  part.  The  reason  is  that  these  more 
recent  developments  of  our  polity  have  little  or  no  place  in 
earlier  books,  and  have  seemed  to  merit  some  discussion 
and  historical  development.  I  have  been  less  concerned 
with  questions  of  proportion  and  consistency  of  method 
than  with  the  attempt  to  give  to  those  who  are  to  use  this 
book  the  information  which  they  require.  In  matters  long 
established  among  us,  some  things  can  be  taken  for  granted ; 
but  in  matters  recently  adopted,  or  still  in  their  experimen- 
tal stages,  more  of  explanation,  and  even  in  some  cases  of 
discussion,  appears  to  me  desirable. 


xii  THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

I  have  had  free  access  to  the  Library  of  Chicago  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  and  during  my  summer  vacation  to  the 
Congregational  Library  in  Boston.  During  the  National 
Council  in  New  Haven  last  month,  I  was  able  to  steal  a 
few  precious  hours  from  the  meetings  and  to  spend  them 
among  the  books  in  Dr.  Dexter's  incomparable  collection  in 
the  Library  of  Yale  University.  The  time,  painfully  short, 
enabled  me  to  verify  some  quotations  from  early  authorities 
and  to  add  a  few  others  from  superlatively  rare  books.  For 
special  courtesies  shown  me  in  these  libraries,  my  hearty 
thanks  are  extended.  But  the  conditions  under  which  I 
have  done  my  work  have  made  it  necessary  that  I  should 
depend  for  the  most  part  upon  my  own  books. 

It  is  quite  needless  to  acknowledge  here  the  indebtedness 
of  the  author  to  those  who  have  gone  before  him.  That 
indebtedness  will  appear  on  almost  every  page.  The 
method  of  the  book  is  one  that  permits  a  partial  acknowl- 
edgment under  almost  every  topic ;  but  the  direct  quotations 
credited  to  their  proper  authorities  do  not  fully  measure 
the  debt.  Perhaps  those  who  have  contributed  the  most 
toward  the  making  of  this  book,  and  who  deserve  the  fore- 
most word  of  thanks,  are  the  hundreds  of  correspondents 
in  every  part  of  the  country  who  have  asked  these  questions. 

One  name,  however,  may  and  should  be  mentioned,  that 
of  Rev.  John  P.  Sanderson,  D.  D.,  who  twice  read  the 
manuscript,  and  whose  counsel  has  been  of  much  service  to 
the  author,  as  it  will  be  to  his  readers. 

The  learned  Increase  Mather  closed  the  introduction  to 
his  "Disquisition  on  Ecclesiastical  Councils"  with  the  re- 
flection that  "In  those  Regions  of  Light  and  Love  which 
are  Above,  there  is  more  knowledge  gained  in  one  Day 
than  can  be  obtained  in  an  whole  Age  of  Reading  and  Hard 
Study,"  and  expressed  the  hope  that,  having  now  rendered 
this  service  to  the  churches,  he  might  soon  be  there,  and 
learn  more  about  many  things  beside  church  polity.  Dr. 
Mather  was  seventy-eight  when  he  wrote  his  notable  work, 
and  could  well  expect  that  this  might  be  his  last  work.     I 


PREFACE  xui 

am  hoping  to  live  long  enough  to  learn  much  more  than  I 
now  know.  But  I  can  quote  with  hearty  concurrence  the 
paragraph  next  to  that  which  closes  his  introduction : 

"In  the  subsequent  Disquisition  the  reader  will  not  find 
anything  of  Satyr,  or  indecent  Reflection  on  the  Brethren 
whose  notions  are  not  the  same  as  mine.  I  have  endeavored 
to  confirm  what  I  assert  with  Scripture,  and  with  Argu- 
ments, and  the  Authority  of  Eminent  Divines,  both  Ancient 
and  Modern." 

It  has  now  and  then  occurred  to  me,  while  preparing 
this  volume,  that  there  might  be  some  readers  to  whom 
this  book  would  seem  dangerous  on  account  of  its  occa- 
sional departures  from  the  earlier  type  of  Congregation- 
alism so  admirably  set  forth  by  Dexter  and  others.  To 
these  let  me  say  that  the  system  contained  in  this  volume 
is  no  newer  and  no  more  dangerous  than  that  of  Dr.  Dexter 
was  fifty  years  ago.  Indeed,  I  cannot  better  close  this 
preface  than  by  quoting  the  paragraph  with  which  he  him- 
self closed  the  preface  to  his  Handbook. 

"Without  doubt  some  person  will  allege  this  as  a  new 
endeavor  to  'control'  the  churches.  Such  an  allegation  will 
be  as  true — and  as  false — as  previous  intimations  of  the 
same  sort  have  been.  He  who  waits  to  be  insured  that  his 
good  will  not  be  evil  spoken  of  before  doing  any,  will  earn 
neither  thanks  for  today,  nor  remembrance  from  tomorrow." 

WILLIAM  E.  BARTON. 
November  i,  1915. 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS 


I.    CHURCH  POLITY 

What  is  Congregational  law? -  1 

Is  reliance  upon  usage  peculiar  to  Congregational  churches? 2 

What  is  church  government? _ -  3 

What  is  church  polity? 4 

What  are  the  essential  forms  of  church  government? 6 

Is  polity  identical  v^ith  ecclesiastical  lav(^? ~ 8 

What  is  the  relation  of  polity  to  creed? - 8 

What  is  the  relation  between  church  polity  and  civil  government?  8 

IL    THE  CONGREGATIONAL  PRINCIPLE 

What  is  the  basic  Congregational  principle? 10 

What  is  the  priesthood  of  believers? 11 

What  is  the  autonomy  of  the  local  church?.. 13 

What  is  the  principle  of  Christian  fellowship? 14 

What  is  Congregationalism? 15 

What  is  the  significance  of  the  term  Congregational? 17 

How  early  was  the  name  Congregational  used? 17 

Why  were  CongregationaHsts  called  Brownists? 19 

Is  Congregationalism  a  modern  religion? 20 

How  did  Congregationalism  reach  America? 20 

What  does  Congregationalism  stand  for? 24 

Was  Congregationalism  originally  democratic? 25 

Did  CongregationaHsts  believe  in  religious  liberty? 26 

Did  CongregationaHsts  separate  Church  and  State? 27 

What  is  the  doctrinal  emphasis  of  Congregationalism? 28 

Is  Congregationalism  an  arbitrary  system? 28 

Is  Congregational  liberty  safe? _ 29 

Is  Congregationalism  a  perfect  system? 30 

Is  Congregationalism  effective? 31 

III.    THE  LARGER  CONGREGATIONALISM 

In  what  interdenominational  bodies  do  CongregationaHsts  share?  34 

What  is  the  International  Congregational  Council? 34 

How  large  is  Congregationalism? 35 

What  is  the  polity  of  the  Unitarian  churches? 36 

What  is  the  polity  of  the  Universalist  churches? 37 

What  is  the  polity  of  the  Baptist  churches? 38 

What  is  the  polity  of  the  Disciples  churches? 38 

Do  Disciples  churches  have  creeds? 39 

What  is  the  polity  of  the  Christian  Connection? 40 

Is  Congregationalism  identical  with  independency? 40 

Has  Congregationalism  influenced  other  denominations? 41 

What  is  the  Congregational  attitude  toward  Christian  union? 42 

Is  Congregationalism  favorable  to  progress? 44 

Will   Congregationalism   endure? 45 

What  form  of  Congregationalism  will  endure?..— _  48 


xvi         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

IV.    THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  CHURCH 

What  is  the  meaning  of  the  word  "church"? 50 

Does  the  Bible  use  "church"  of  things  secular? 52 

Who  established  the  New  Testament  Church? 53 

Did  Jesus  use  the  word  church? 54 

How  does  New  Testament  use  terms  "church"  and  "churches"?  54 

How  was  the  Church  related  to  the  temple? 55 

What  was  the  relation  of  the  Church  to  the  synagogue? 56 

How  was  the  Church  related  to  Gentile  organizations? 57 

Is  the  Church  the  embodiment  of  a  social  ideal? 59 

How  were  the  New  Testament  churches  founded? „ 61 

With  what  organization  was  the  Church  established? 61 

Did  the  apostles  rule  the  churches? _ 62 

Had  the  apostolic  Church  a  hierarchy? 64 

How  were  the  New  Testament  churches  governed? 64 

What  were  the  officers  of  the  Apostolic  Church? 65 

Are  we  sure  of  the  identity  of  bishops  and  presbyters? 66 

Did  every  church  have  a  bishop  and  also  presbyters? „ 68 

Why  were  there  two  titles  for  one  office? 69 

What  is  the  historic  episcopate? 71 

V.    ECCLESIASTICAL  EVOLUTION 

How  did  the  Church  lose  its  apostolic  simplicity? 73 

Did  the  changes  begin  soon? 75 

Did  Jesus  during  the  forty  days  establish  a  formal  organization?  11 
When  do  we  first  find  distinction  between  bishop  and  presbyter?  79 

Were  the  bishops  successors  of  the  apostles? 81 

Did  the  apostles  invent  apostolic  succession? 82 

Who  were  the  apostles  in  the  second  century? „ 84 

Was  the  monarchical  episcopate  Episcopal? 85 

How  did  the  modern  denominations  arise? „ 87 

Is  the  papal  form  of  government  Scriptural? „ 88 

Was  Peter  the  rock  of  the  Church? 90 

Did  Jesus  give  to  Peter  the  power  of  binding  and  loosing? 91 

Is  the  Episcopal  system  Scriptural? - 91 

Is  there  truth  in  the  doctrine  of  apostolic  succession? 95 

Is  the  Presbyterian  form  of  government  Scriptural? 95 

What  do  Congregationalists  teach  concerning  apostolic  Church?  97 

Is  Congregationalism  Biblical ? _ 98 

Is  New  Testament  usage  decisive? 100 

VI.    THE  MODERN   CHURCH 

What  is  a  church  ? 102 

What  is  the  Church  ? 103 

Is  the  visible  the  same  as  the  invisible  Church?.— 104 

What  is  a  denomination  ? .- 106 

What  is  a  sect?   106 

What  is  a  sectarian? _ - -. 106 

Is  it  possible  for  any  Christian  to  escape  sectarianism? 106 

Is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  identical  with  the  Church? 107 

Is  the  church  building  the  Church? 108 

Can  a  church  exist  without  officers? 108 

Is  there  salvation  outside  the  Church? 109 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS 


What  is  the  Protestant  Church?.... 110 

What  is  the  Holy  Catholic  Church? _111 

Can  we  depend  on  external  authority? 112 

VII.    THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  A  CHURCH 

Who  may  organize  a  church? _ 114 

How  may  a  church  be  organized  with  a  council? 114 

How  may  a  church  be  organized  without  a  council? 116 

How  may  a  church  be  organized  by  an   Association? 121 

How  may  a  church  secure  fellowship? _ 121 

How  is  a  Congregational  church  recognized? 122 

How  may  a  church  be  disbanded? _ _123 

By  what  majority  vote  may  a  church  disband?. — 124 

May  two  churches  unite  ? 125 

What  are  the  rights  of  the  minority  in  cases  of  merger? 127 

May  a  church  divide  ? _ „ 128 

How  may  other  churches  become  Congregational? 128 

VIII.    THE  CONDUCT  OF  CHURCH  BUSINESS 

What  general  rules  govern  church  business? 130 

What  is  the  jurisdiction  of  the  local  church? 130 

Are  home  missionary  churches  self-governing? — 131 

What  constitutes  final  authority? _ 132 

How  should  church  meetings  be  called? 132 

How  are  special  meetings  called?. — „.133 

What  constitutes  a  quorum  ? ...133 

May  a  meeting  transact  other  business  than  that  for  which  it 

is  called?  134 

Who  presides  at  church  meetings? 135 

Must  the  presiding  officer  be  a  member  of  the  church? 135 

Who  presides  at  annual  meetings? 136 

Has  the  pastor  the  power  of  veto? „ 136 

Do  the  majority  rule  ? _ „ 137 

Is  church  business  governed  by  parliamentary  rules? 138 

Where  majority  leave  meeting  can  minority  transact  business? 139 

Where  the  majority  leave  the  church,  which  is  the  church? 139 

What  rules  govern  annual  meetings  of  the  church? 140 

What  business  should  be  recorded? „ 141 

Who  has  a  right  to  the  church  records? 141 

May  church  officers  obliterate  church  records? 142 

What  should  be  done  with  reports? 142 

How  are  votes  taken  in  church  meetings? _ 143 

Are  proxy  votes  permitted? 143 

Is  irregular  action  invalid ? _ 144 

May  a  church  hold  secret  meetings? 145 

Must  every  member  of  a  church  be  informed  of  every  meeting?-.145 

Should  church  business  be  regarded  as  confidential? 145 

May  the  church  eject  an  intruder? 145 

May  a  church  silence  a  disturber? 146 

Who  may  expel  a  disturber? 146 

May  women  vote  in  the  business  affairs  of  the  church? 146 

May  minors  vote  in  Congregational  churches? „ 147 

May  one  person  cast  the  ballot  of  the  church? — _.147 

Have  absent  members  the  right  to  vote? 147 


xvUi       THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

IX.    DUTIES  AND  RIGHTS  OF  CHURCH  MEMBERS 

What  is  a  church  member? — _ 149 

What  is  the  basis  of  church  membership? 150 

May  a  church  determine  its  own  terms  of  membership? _ 150 

How  is  membership  in  the  church  secured? _ 153 

What  is  the  propounding  of  members? _ 155 

May  a  church  examine  a  member  who  unites  by  letter? 155 

What  constitutes  examination  for  membership? 156 

May  a  church  receive  a  member  without  a  letter? 156 

What  constitutes  Christian  faith? 157 

Do  members  from  other  churches  assent  to  the  covenant? _.157 

May  members  be  received  in  their  absence? 157 

May  a  church  refuse  to  accept  a  letter? 158 

What  are  the  duties  of  a  member  of  the  church? 158 

What  are  the  rights  of  church  members? 159 

What  is  good  and  regular  standing? 161 

How  are  members  dismissed? _ _.161 

To  whom  may  church  letters  be  granted? 161 

May  a  church  member  terminate  his  membership  at  pleasure?.... 162 
What  shall  a  church  do  when  a  member  unites  with  another 

church  without  taking  his  letter? 162 

May  a  member  demit  his  membership? _ 162 

When  may  a  church  refuse  to  grant  a  letter? 163 

Are  general  letters  to  be  granted? _ 163 

May  there  be  dismission  to  organizations  out  of  fellowship? 164 

May  church  members  be  dropped? _ 164 

May  letters  be  granted  without  dismission? 166 

What  is  the  status  of  dismissed  members? 166 

May  dismissed  members  vote? 166 

What  is  the  status  of  a  member  who  partially  withdraws? 167 

Should  letters  be  granted  to  churches  that  will  refuse  them? 168 

What  is  the  duty  of  a  church  to  its  absent  members? _ 169 

Shall  a  church  receive  members  who  cannot  assent  to  its  creed  ?..170 

X.    THE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  LOCAL  CHURCH 

What  are  the  officers  of  the  local  church? _ 171 

What  are  the  duties  of  the  pastor? _ 172 

What  is  a  deacon? 173 

What  is  a  deaconess? „ 175 

Should  deacons  be  installed  ? _ 176 

Should  other  officers  be  installed? 177 

What  are  the  duties  of  the  clerk? 177 

What  is  the  duty  of  the  treasurer?    177 

What  is  the  duty  of  the  trustees? 178 

May  a  church  vacate  an  office? _ 179 

Were  the  New  Testament  deacons  candidates  for  the  ministry  ?..180 

XL    RELIGIOUS  CORPORATIONS 

What  is  a  religious  corporation?  „ — 181 

What  is  a  parish?   _ _ „ 182 

What  is  an  ecclesiastical  society?. — _ 185 

May  a  society  exist  without  a  church? _ 185 

May  a  local  church  exist  without  a  society?. 185 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS 


What  are  the  reasons  for  a  society? — _ _ 185 

What  are  the  powers  and  limitations  of  the  society? 186 

What  are  the  relations  of  church  and  society? — 187 

Should  the  minister  attend  meetings  of  the  society? 189 

How  may  a  church  free  itself  from  relations  with  a  society? — 189 

XII.    AFFILIATED  ORGANIZATIONS 

What  are  affiliated  organizations? _ 192 

What  is  a  Sunday  School  ? _ 192 

What  is  the  pastor's  place  in  the  Sunday  school? 193 

How  shall  the  church  conduct  the  work  of  its  women? 194 

What  is  the  office  of  a  brotherhood? 195 

Do  these  organizations  exist  for  their  own  ends?. — 195 

XIIL    CANDIDATES  FOR  THE  MINISTRY 

Who  should  be  regarded  as  candidates  for  the  ministry? 197 

What  is  a  call  to  preach? _ 197 

What  is  licensure  to  preach? _ _. 198 

May  a  local  church  license  a  preacher? „...198 

What  body  should  issue  license  to  preach? 198 

May  bodies  of  ministers  license? 200 

May  theological  seminaries  issue  licenses? _ 200 

Is  a  diploma  a  substitute  for  examination? 201 

Should  licensure  be  permanent  ? _ 201 

May  an  association  license  a  lay  preacher? 201 

May  men  be  licensed  without  intent  to  be  ordained? 202 

How    shall    a    candidate   for  the   ministry   prepare   himself   for 

licensure? _ 202 

What  constitutes  examination  for  licensure? 203 

Are  licentiates  members  of  the  association? 203 

May  licentiates  be  transferred  to  other  associations? 204 

May  licentiates  be  received  from  another  denomination? 204 

May  licentiates  administer  the  ordinances? 204 

May  licentiates  solemnize  marriages?   204 

May  a  license  be  terminated? _ 206 

XIV.    THE  CONGREGATIONAL  MINISTRY 

What  is  a   Christian   minister? _ 207 

What  is  the  work  of  the  ministry? _ 207 

What  is  a  Congregational  minister? 208 

How  may  one  enter  the  Congregational  ministry? 208 

What  is  ordination? _ .209 

May  a  local  church  ordain? 211 

Is  lay  ordination  valid ? „.214 

Is  ordination  to  be  performed  on  Sunday? 216 

May  a  missionary  society  ordain  a  missionary? 217 

Does  ordination  create  the  right  to  preach? .217 

Must  ordination  be  to  the  pastorate  of  a  particular  church? 218 

May  an  evangelist  be  ordained?. — _ 219 

May  a  woman  be  ordained? _ 219 

Is  public  service  of  ordination  necessary? 220 

Is  laying  on  of  hands  necessary? 220 

Who  may  impose  hands  ? 221 

Is  ordination  valid  if  obtained  under  fraud? -222 


XX  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Is  ordination  performed  by  a  packed  council  valid? 222 

Is  there  a  distinction  between  invalid  and  irregular  ordination  ?„222 

Are  ministerial  orders  indelible  ? 223 

Is  an  ordinance  valid  if  the  minister  who  performs  it  proves 

unworthy?  _ 224 

May  Congregational  churches  provide  for  limited  ordination  P....224 
How  may  a  minister  of  another  denomination  become  Congre- 
gational?  225 

Should  a  minister  received  from  another  denomination  be  re- 
ordained?  226 

May  a  Congregational  minister  join  another  denomination? 226 

Is  membership  in  an  association  necessary  to  ministerial  char- 
acter?  227 

How  is  ministerial  standing  maintained? 227 

How  is  ministerial  standing  impaired? 227 

Is  there  a  distinction  between  ministerial  standing  and  the  min- 
isterial function?  227 

May  a  Congregational  minister  demit  his  office? 231 

Should  a  demitted  minister  be  reordained? 232 

Should  ministers  in  secular  business  retain  ministerial  standing ?..232 
What  is  the  duty  of  a  minister  temporarily  out  of  ministerial 

work?   233 

What  is  the  status  of  a  retired  minister? 233 

What  is  the  status  of  unemployed  ministers?. 233 

May  there  be  distinctions  in  the  Congregational  ministry? 234 

XV.    THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  PASTOR 

What  constitutes  a  Congregational  pastor? 235 

How  is  a  pastor  called? 235 

May  a  call  be  extended  for  a  limited  time? 238 

Do  Congregational  churches  have  ruling  elders? 239 

What  is  a  collegiate  pastor? 242 

What  is  an  assistant  pastor?. 242 

What  is  a  pastor's  assistant? _ 242 

What  is  an  acting  pastor? „ 242 

What  is  a  pastoral  supply? 243 

May  a  church  employ  a  non-Congregational  supply? 243 

What  is  the  pastor's  duty  as  preacher? 243 

What  is  the  pastor's  function  as  teacher? 243 

Is  the  Congregational  pastor  a  prophet? 244 

What  authority  has  the  pastor? 245 

May  a  pastor  advise  a  child  against  the  advice  of  the  parent? 248 

What  is  the  value  of  installation? 249 

Is  installation  a  growing  custom  of  our  churches? 249 

Who  may  install  a  minister? 250 

What  is  the  value  of  a  recognition  service? 251 

How  may  a  church  terminate  a  pastorate? 251 

Should  a  minister  stand  on  his  legal  rights? 253 

How  may  a  ministefr  terminate  a  pastorate? 254 

Is  a  dismissing  council  necessary? 254 

Is  the  advice  of  a  dismissing  council  authoritative? 254 

Must  pastoral  conditions  be  ideal? 255 

How  can  a  church  be  saved  from  an  unworthy  pastor? 256 


TABLE   OF   CONTENTS  xxi 

XVI.    ECCLESIASTICAL  COUNCILS 

What  is  an  ecclesiastical  council? _ 257 

What  is  the  meaning  of  "pro  re  nata"? _ 257 

What  is  the  function  of  an  ecclesiastical  council? 258 

Who  may  call  a  council  ? „ _ 258 

Must  all  councils  be  chosen  from  the  vicinage? 262 

How  may  a  council  be  called? 262 

What  should  the  letter  missive  include? 262 

How  may  a  church  facilitate  the  work  of  a  council? 262 

Who  compose  the  membership  of  a  council? 263 

What  constitutes  a  quorum  ? 264 

May  churches  unable  to  attend  council  diminish  the  quorum? 264 

How  is  a  council  organized? _ _ 265 

What  are  the  duties  of  the  moderator  of  a  council? 266 

What  is  the  duty  of  the  scribe? 267 

Does  irregularity  in  invitation  invalidate  the  council? 268 

What  is  the  place  of  individual  members  in  a  council? 268 

May  non-Congr.gationalists  be  invited  to  a  council? 269 

Are  individual  members  always  ministers? 269 

Is  a  council  composed  wholly  of  ministers  valid? 270 

Is  a  council  of  laymen  valid? 270 

Should  a  council  be  called  for  licensure? 271 

May  a  council  examine  when  not  invited  so  to  do? 271 

What  are  reasonable  limits  in  examination  of  a  candidate? 212 

Is  a  council  a  court? 273 

Is  a  council  an  appellate  body? 274 

What  are  the  sessions  of  a  council? 275 

Should  councils  vote  by  churches? 277 

Should  a  council  be  addressed? 277 

What  is  the  finding  of  a  council?. — 211 

Is  the  decision  of  a  council  binding  upon  the  parties  calling  it?....278 

Are  councils  more  than  advisory? 280 

May  a  council  adjourn ? 280 

How  are  councils  classified  ? 281 

What  is  a  mutual  council? „ 282 

What  is  an  ex-parte  council? 282 

May  a  council  increase  or  diminish  its  own  membership? 284 

Is  the  conciliar  system  an  adequate  protection  of  our  churches ?..285 
How  may  the  churches  control  a  council? 287 

XVn.    THE  DISTRICT  ASSOCIATION 

What  is  an  Association  ? ~ 289 

How  did  Associations  originate  ? ..— 292 

Have  we  District  Associations  or  Local  Associations? 294 

Is  the  Association  a  menace  to  local  autonomy? 294 

Is  the  Association  a  voluntary  body? 294 

What  is  a  ministerial  Association? 294 

Are  ministerial  Associations  desirable? 296 

Should  ministerial  standing  repose  in  associations  of  ministers ?..296 

What  is  a  Consociation  ?. — 296 

Have  Associations  definite  territorial  boundaries? -297 

How  may  a  church  unite  with  an  Association? 299 

How  may  a  church  withdraw  from  an  Association?.... 299 

How  may  a  church  be  received  from  another  ecclesiastical  body?..299 


xxii       THE  LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

How  may  a  church  withdraw  from  the  Congregational  denom- 
ination?     _ _ 300 

May  a  church  be  a  member  of  two  Associations? 300 

Has  an  Association  a  right  to  demand  creed  tests  of  its  mem- 
bers?   „ 300 

May  an  Association  withdraw  fellowship  from  a  church? 301 

What  is  the  status  of  a  church  from  which  the  fellowship  of  an 

Association  has  been  withdrawn? 303 

What  is  the  standing  of  ministers  in  the  Association? 303 

Shall  the  minister  vote  ? 304 

What  is  the  place  in  an  Association  of  the  minister  who  is  not 

a  pastor?  305 

What  is  the  status  of  absent  ministers? 307 

May  an  Association  incorporate? 308 

May  Associations  license  candidates  for  the  ministry? 309 

May  Associations  ordain? 310 

May  an  Association  accept  or  reject  members? 311 

Can  an  Association  depose  a  minister? 311 

Is  deposition  by  act  of  Association  good  Congregationalism ?....313 
Is  the  increase  of  power  on  the  part  of  the  Association  justifi- 
able?   317 

What  are  the  rules  of  business  of  the  District  Association? 319 

What  may  an  advisory  committee  do? 319 

XVIII.    THE  STATE  CONFERENCE 

What  is  a  State  Conference? 321 

Is  the  Conference  composed  of  delegates  from  Associations  ?....321 

How  many  delegates  may  a  church  elect  to  a  Conference? 321 

Does  ministerial  standing  repose  in  the  State  Conference? 322 

May  a  Conference  invite  corresponding  members? 323 

May  a  Conference  entertain  an  appeal  from  an  Association? 323 

May  superior  bodies  entertain  overtures? 323 

May  an  appeal  be  taken  from  a   Conference   to  the   National 

Council?  „ _ 323 

By  what  rules  are  Conferences  governed? 323 

May  a  State  Conference  incorporate? 324 

How  may  state  bodies  consolidate? _ 324 

Should  both  organizations  be  kept  in  existence? 326 

How  may  both  bodies  continue  and  work  together? „ 326 

XIX.    THE  ASSOCIATION  ACTING  AS  COUNCIL 

May  an  Association  act  as  a  council? 327 

How  may  a  church  invite  an  Association  to  act  in  a  conciliary 

Does  a  minister  ordained  by  an  Association  become  a  member 

of  the  ordaining  body ? 329 

May  an  Association  dismiss  an  installed  pastor? 329 

Do  these  new  functions  make  the  Congregational  Association  a 
Consociation? 329 

XX.    ECCLESIASTICAL  DISCIPLINE 

Has  a  church  a  right  to  discipline  one  of  its  own  members  ?..-.331 

Has  a  church  a  right  to  discipline  a  non-member?  331 

Has  a  church  a  right  to  discipline  its  ministers?  331 


TABLE   OF  CONTENTS xxiu 

How  should  a  church  trial  be  conducted? 333 

Is  professional  counsel  permitted  in  a  church  trial? 334 

Should  a  church  trial  be  conducted  as  in  a  court  of  law? 334 

Must  the  whole  church  try  an  offender? 335 

May  a  member  be  granted  a  letter  while  under  charges? 335 

May  a  member  be  dropped  while  under  charges? „ „.335 

May  a  member  be  tried  in  his  absence? 336 

Should  a  member  guilty  of  crime  remain  a  member? 337 

For  what  offenses  may  a  church  try  a  minister? 338 

Can  a  local  church  expel  a  minister? „ 338 

May  a  church  bring  action  against  a  minister  who  is  not  its 

own  pastor  or  one  of  its  members? „340 

For  what  offenses  may  an  Association  try  a  minister? 341 

May  an  Association  try  a  minister  who  is  not  a  member? 341 

May  a  minister  be  tried  by  a  Commission? „ 342 

Can  an  Association  expel  a  pastor? _ 342 

Does  deposition  from  the  ministry  destroy  church  membership ?..343 

By  whom  may  a  minister  be  restored  to  fellowship? 343 

What  is  the  process  of  trial  of  a  minister? _ 343 

May  a  church  court  censure  a  false  accuser? 345 

May  an  Association  delegate  a  trial  to  a  Commission? 345 

May  an  Association  try  a  member  for  heresy? 345 

May  ecclesiastical  trials  be  held  in  private? 346 

May  a  minister  be  tried  by  council? 346 

May  a  State  Conference  try  a  minister? 346 

May  a  National  Council  try  a  minister? _ 347 

May  the  results  of  an  ecclesiastical  trial  be  published? 347 

XXI.  THE  ORDINANCES  OF  THE  CHURCH 

Have  we  sacraments  or  ordinances? — 349 

What  is  the  Congregational  doctrine  of  baptism? 349 

To  whom  may  baptism  be  administered? 349 

In  what  form  may  baptism  be  administered? — 349 

Did    the   early   church    practice   baptism   by   immersion    exclu- 
sively?   _ 350 

May  infants  be  baptized  ? _.351 

Should  children  of  non-Christian  parents  be  baptized? 351 

Should  dying  children  be  baptized? 352 

Do  Congregationalists  teach  baptismal  regeneration? 352 

What  is  the  status  of  baptized  infants? „ 353 

Who  may  administer  baptism? 353 

Do  Congregationalists  acknowledge  self-baptism? 353 

Do  we  acknowledge  the  baptism  of  other  denominations? 355 

Is  Roman  Catholic  baptism  valid? 355 

Is  baptism  to  be  performed  a  second  time? _ 356 

Are  sponsors  permitted  in  baptism? 356 

Is  the  baptism  of  an  excommunicated  person  valid? 356 

What  is  the  Lord's  Supper?  _ 357 

What  is  the  significance  of  the  Lord's  Supper? 357 

Are  the  bread  and  wine  the  real  body  and  blood  of  Christ? 357 

How  was  the  Lord's  Supper  regarded  by  the  early  church? 357 

Who  may  administer  the  Lord's  Supper? 358 

How  is  the  Lord's  Supper  to  be  administered? 360 

What  invitation  should  be  given  to  the  table? 360 


xxiv       THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

May  an  unbaptized  person  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper? 361 

May  non-church  members  commune? _ 361 

Do  Congregationalists  practice  close  communion?. — 362 

What  kind  of  bread  is  used  in  the  Lord's  Supper? 362 

What  kind  of  wine  is  used  in  the  Lord's  Supper? 362 

How  often  should  the  Lord's  Supper  be  administered? 363 

May  special  communion  seasons  be  arranged? 363 

At  what  time  of  the  day  should  the  Lord's  Supper  be  admin- 
istered?   363 

Do  Congregationalists  observe  an  Easter  communion? 363 

XXIL    SERVICES  AND  CEREMONIES 

What  is  the  Law  of  the  Christian  life? 364 

What  is  Christian  worship  ? 364 

What  are  the  essential  parts  of  public  worship? 365 

What   is   the   place  of   the   reading  of   the   Scripture  in   public 

worship?    367 

What  is  the  office  of  prayer  in  public  worship?..... 368 

May  written  or  printed  prayers  be  used  by  Congregationalists  ?..369 

What  is  the  use  of  singing  in  the  church? 370 

Ought  unconverted  persons  to  sing  in  church  choirs? 370 

What  is  the  place  of  preaching  in  public  worship? 370 

What  is  the  Congregational  doctrine  of  the  Sabbath? 371 

How  do  Congregationalists  regard  prayer  meetings? 371 

How  do  Congregationalists  regard  the  week  of  prayer? 372 

Do  Congregationalists  observe  holy  days  or  fast  days? Z12 

How  do  Congregationalists  regard  Easter  and  Christmas? 372 

How  do  Congregationalists  regard  Lent? 372 

What  is  the  attitude  of  the  church  toward  current  reforms? 373 

What  is  the  relation  of  the  Christian  minister  to  marriage? 373 

Who  may  solemnize  marriages? 374 

What  should  be  the  minister's  attitude  toward  divorce? 375 

In  what  form  should  marriage  be  performed? 375 

Is  a  marriage  valid  performed  without  license? 375 

Is  a  marriage  valid  when  performed  as  a  joke? _ 375 

Should  ministers  conduct  funerals? 375 

May  a  layman  conduct  a  funeral  service? 376 

Should  funeral  services  be  conducted  in  the  church  building? 376 

XXIII.    THE  AUTHORITY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL 

CREEDS 

Is  there  a  Congregational  creed? 377 

How  are  creeds  to  be  interpreted? 378 

Should  creeds  be  used  as  tests? 379 

May  a  minister  be  expelled  for  heresy? 380 

What  are  the  ethics  of  creed  subscription? 382 

What  creeds  have  grown,  out  of  Congregationalism? 384 

Does  the  preamble  agree  with  the  creed? 385 

Is  a  creed  essential  to  a  Congregational  church? 389 

Is  rejection  of  the  creed  a  ground  for  expulsion? 390 

What  is  the  nature  of  a  church  covenant? 392 

XXIV.    THE  NATIONAL  COUNCIL 
Why  was  there  no  National  Council  in  the  beginning? 395 


TABLE    OF   CONTENTS 


What  national  gatherings  preceded  the  National  Council? 395 

How  did  the  National  Council  originate? 400 

What  was  the  difference  between  the  National  Council  and  pre- 
vious Synods?  402 

When  did  the  National  Council  begin  to  enlarge  its  powers? 403 

How  many  National  Councils  have  been  held? 405 

Has  the  National  Council  any  definite  doctrinal  platform? 405 

Who  creates  the  National  Council? 411 

Do  delegates  represent  associations? 411 

May  an  alternate  be  displaced? _ 412 

How  are  vacancies  filled  ? 412 

Must  members  of  the  National  Council  reside  within  the  district 

which  elects  them  ? 412 

May  there  be  temporary  alternates? 413 

What  is  the  purpose  of  the  National  Council? 414 

If  no  delegate  appears  is  representation  lost? 414 

What  is  the  corporation  for  the  National  Council? 415 

How  is  the  National  Council  supported? 415 

What  are  the  functions  of  the  National  Council  moderator? 416 

What  are  the  duties  of  the  secretary  of  the  National  Council?... .420 
Is    there    danger    that    the    National    Council   will    commit    the 

denomination  to  disastrous  policies? 420 

The  Constitution  of  the  National  Council 423 

The  By-Laws  of  the  National  Council 426 

XXV.    THE  BENEVOLENT  SOCIETIES 

Through  what  agencies  do  the  Congregational  churches  conduct 

their  benevolent  and  missionary  work? 

How  did  the  interdenominational  societies  become  Congrega- 
tional?   

Did  these  societies  occupy  distinct  fields  of  activity?. 

When  was  consolidation  of  the  benevolent  societies  first  con- 
sidered?   435 

Is    the    National    Council    competent    to    create    a    benevolent 

society?    436 

What  is  the  American  Board? 438 

What  is  the  Congregational  Education  Society? 438 

What  is  the  Home  Missionary  Society? 439 

What  is  the  American  Missionary  Association? 440 

What    is    the    Congregational    Sunday    school    and    Publishing 

Society?  441 

What  is  the  Congregational  Church  Building  Society? 442 

What  is  the  Congregational  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief? 442 

What  are  the  women's  societies? 443 

What  is  the  American  Congregational  Association? 443 

What  was  the  Commission  of  Nineteen? 443 

What  is  the  Commission  on  Missions? 443 

What    changes    in    the    Missionary    societies   were   wrought    at 

Kansas  City?  444 

What  changes  in  the  societies  were  accomplished  in  1915? 445 

XXVI.     REPRESENTATIVE    DEMOCRACY 

Can  democracy  be  representative? 450 

What  was  the  Tri-Church  Union  discussion? _ .452 


xxvi       THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

Is  Congregationalism  representative? 454 

Is  Congregationalism  provincial? 456 

Have  we  sacrificed  democracy? 560 

What  is  the  World  Conference  on  Faith  and  Order? 465 

What  is  our  attitude  tow^ard  current  movements  for  union? 466 

BIBLIOGRAPHY  473 

INDEX  OF  AUTHORITIES  QUOTED 479 

GEN  ER AL  I N  D EX  _ 487 


THE   LAW 
OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 


I.     CHURCH  POLITY 

What  is  Congregational  Law?  The  _Congregational 
churches  recognize  no  human  authority  over  and  above  the 
local  church  as  competent  to  legislate  for  it  in  the  conduct 
of  itsinternal  and  spiritual  affairs.  There  is,  however,  a 
law  of  Congregational  usage.  It  recognizes  statute  law, 
parliamentary  law,  the  general  content  of  ecclesiastical  law, 
and  the  body  of  accepted  precedent  and  established  custom 
of  the  Congregational  churches.  A  complete  codification 
of  this  body  of  law  can  never  be  accomplished,  for  the 
Congregational  churches  recognize  the  law  of  growth  as 
truly  as  the  law  of  precedent.  Both  in  ecclesiastical  and 
civil  affairs  there  is  a  law  which  is  more  than  the  sum  of 
all  particular  laws.  While  no^booliof. Congregational  usage 
can  ever  be  final  or  even  compjete,  it  is  desirable  that  from 
time  to  time  there  be  n e w  attem£ts__to  in t erpr et^  Congr ega- 
tional  usage^nTthe  light  of  its  development.  The  present 
volume  "undertakes  to  assemble  in  convenient  form  the 
general  body  of  established  rules  and  precedents  which  are 
accepted  and  now  current  in  Congregational  church  gov- 
ernment. 

But  that  we  may  know  what  current  Congregational 
usage  is,  we  must  often  inquire  how  long  it  has  been  so 
and  how  it  became  so,  and  what  it  was  before.  We  must 
avoid,  if  we  are  able,  mistaking  the  weathercock  for  the 
compass.  Our  present  usage  is  the  result  of  changes,  and 
other  changes  are  yet  to  be  made.  It  is  always  desirable, 
and  often  highly  important,  that  we  discover  not  merely 
the  present  position,  but  the  direction,  of  progress.  There 
is  often  a  trend  of  custom  which  has  in  it  a  more  irresistible 
sweep  than  formal  legislation.  We  must  seek  to  discover, 
therefore,  by  what  customary  methods  our  Congregational 


2  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

churches  govern  themselves  and  administer  their  common 
work ;  and  also  in  what  fashion  the  methods  of  our  present 
usage  are  related  to  the  usage  of  the  past. 

This  plan  of  study  ought  to  have  for  us  a  value  much 
beyond  that  of  mere  historical  research,  though  that  is  of 
no  small  importance;  for  it  should  afford  us  some  indica- 
tion of  what  are  likely  to  be  the  main  lines  of  advance 
toward  the  future. 

It  is  seldom  if  ever  possible  for  a  church  truthfully  to 
assert  concerning  its  polity  or  doctrine  that  that  which  it 
now  holds  has  been  held,  "always,  everywhere  and  by  all." 
Few  things  appear  to  remain  in  an  entirely  static  condi- 
tion, and  Congregational  usage  makes  no  claim  to  being 
one  of  that  few.  But  there  is,  and  has  been,  a  certain  con- 
sistency of  development — if  we  do  not  use  the  term  too 
narrowly — and  this  constitutes,  for  the  student  of  Congre- 
gational polity,  the  base  line  for  a  survey  of  what  may 
properly  be  called  the  Law  of  Congregational  Usage. 

Laws  and  Law.  We  commonly  speak  of  both  laws  and  law — the 
English  law,  and  the  laws  of  England;  and  these  terms,  though  not 
used  with  precision,  point  to  two  different  aspects  under  which 
legal  science  may  be  approached.  The  laws  of  a  country  are 
thought  of  as  separate,  distinct,  individual  rules;  the  law  of  a  coun- 
try, however  much  we  may  analyze  it  into  separate  rules,  is  some- 
thing more  than  the  sum  of  all  such  rules.  It  is  rather  a  whole,  a 
system  which  orders  our  conduct;  in  which  the  separate  rules  have 
their  place  and  their  relation  to  each  other  and  to  the  whole;  which 
is  never  completely  exhausted  by  any  analysis,  however  far  the 
analysis  may  be  pushed,  and  however  much  the  analysis  may  be 
necessary  to  an  understanding  of  the  whole. — Geldart:  Elements  of 
English  Law,  p.  7. 

Congregational  Law.  Every  association  or  union  of  persons  in 
a  company  for  an  object  implies  a  ground  work  of  organization, 
with  principles  and  laws;  and  therefore  every  church  must  have 
such  a  ground  work. — Dexter:   Congregationalism:  What  It  Is,  p.  1. 

Is  Reliance  upon  Usage  Peculiar  to  Congregational 
Churches?  Reliance  upon  usage  is  in  nowise  peculiar  to 
Congregationalism,  nor  is  this  system  of  church  govern- 
ment foremost  among  those  that  rely  on  precedent.  It  is 
characteristic  of  the  administration  of  law  in  general,  and 
by  some  has  been  thought  an  especial  characteristic  of 
ecclesiastical  law.    As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  religious  spirit 


CHURCH   POLITY 


is  not  more  bound  to  precedent  than  the  spirit  of  secular 
government.  The  greater  part  of  human  law  is  precedent. 
Congregationalists  hold  that  usage  is  subject  to  growth 
and  normal  development.  The  recent  declaration  of  the 
Dean  of  St.  Paul's  can  hardly  be  applied  to  Congrega- 
tionalism : 

The  Tyranny  of  Precedent.  There  is  no  such  hide-bound  Tory 
in  the  world  as  the  religious  spirit.  It  is  profoundly  uncomfortable 
if  it  cannot  find  or  invent  a  tradition  of  the  elders  to  justify  every 
article  in  its  creed  and  every  detail  in  its  w^orship. — Inge:  The 
Church  and  the  Age,  p.  58. 

The  Right  of  Development.  The  Christian  Church  must  be  free 
at  any  period  to  adapt  the  fundamental  principles  w^hich  it  derives 
from  Christ  to  the  exigencies  of  its  life.  .  .  .  We  shall  insist  in 
the  name  of  the  churches  on  absolute  freedom  to  apply  fundamental 
principles  directly  to  present  conditions,  w^hatever  may  have  been 
the  usage  of  the  fathers. — Heermance:  Democracy  in  the  Church, 
pp.  2,  3. 

What  is  Church  Government?  The  fellowship  of  churches 
expresses  itself  according  to  established  forms,  and  de- 
velops along  definite  lines  of  progress.  The  authoritative 
expression  and  right  interpretation  of  these  forms  in  any 
church  or  body  of  churches  constitutes  for  that  church  or 
body  the  system  of  its  government. 

Every  society  of  men,  instituted  for  the  attainment  of  a 
common  end,  recognizes  certain  forms  of  action  as  adapted 
to  the  securing  of  that  end,  and  formulates  its  belief  in 
the  wisdom  and  value  of  these  forms  of  conduct  in  written 
or  unwritten  laws.  The  power  which  is  recognized  in  any 
state,  church,  or  other  organization,  as  that  which  has  the 
prerogative  of  enacting  and  the  authority  of  enforcing  such 
laws,  constitutes  the  government. 

A  society  without  government  has  been  the  dream  of 
theorists  in  many  ages.  These  philosophical  anarchists  (for 
the  term  may  be  used  without  opprobrium)  conceive  of  an 
ideal  society  in  which  harmony  and  protection  might  be 
secured  without  submission  to  law  or  obedience  to  author- 
ity in  any  form.  Such  a  form  of  association  has  not  proved 
practicable  either  in  religious  or  political  organizations. 
Therefore,  in  order  to  secure  certain  ends,  recognized  as 


4  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

desirable,  governments  are  instituted  among  men,  in  church 
and  state.  These  governments  differ  in  their  forms,  but 
in  the  last  analysis  all  human  governments  derive  their  just 
powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed. 

Necessity  of  Government.  Man  is  so  constituted  that  govern- 
ment is  necessary  to  the  existence  of  society;  and  society  to  his 
existence  and  the  perfection  of  his  faculties. — John  C.  Calhoun: 
Works  i:  4. 

Necessity  of  Church  Government.  The  house  of  God  must  have 
orders  for  the  government  of  it,  such  as  not  any  of  the  household 
but  God  himself  hath  appointed. — Hooker:    Eccl.  Polity,  iii:  11. 

The  Parts  of  Church  Government.  Church  government  is  con- 
sidered in  a  double  respect,  either  in  regard  of  the  parts  of  govern- 
ment themselves,  or  necessary  circumstances  thereof.  The  parts  of 
government  are  prescribed  in  the  Word,  because  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  the  king  and  lawgiver  of  his  Church,  is  no  less  faithful  in 
the  house  of  God  than  was  Moses,  who  from  the  Lord  delivered  a 
form  and  pattern  of  government  to  the  children  of  Israel  in  the  Old 
Testament;  and  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  now  also  so  perfect,  as 
they  are  able  to  make  the  man  of  God  perfect,  and  thoroughly  fur- 
nished unto  every  good  work;  and  therefore  doubtless  to  the  well 
ordering  of  the  house  of  God. — Cambridge  Platform:  i:2. 

What  is  Church  Polity?  The  science  of  church  govern- 
ment is  called  polity.  Polity  may  be  defined  as  the  form 
or  constitution  of  government  of  a  nation,  state,  church,  or 
other  institution.  Church  polity  is  the  aggregate  of  the 
recognized  principles  which  lie  at  the  foundation  of  the 
organic  life  of  a  church  or  body  of  churches  considered  as 
an  organic  unit. 

The  word  polity  was  originally  the  same  word  as  policy. 
The  two  words  still  are  synonymous,  but  not  identical  in 
meaning.  Policy  is  a  plan  or  method  of  management,  a 
scheme,  or  adaptation  of  means  to  a  desired  end.  Polity  is 
a  word  of  more  fundamental  and  stable  implication,  and 
applies  to  the  structure  of  government,  the  framework  by 
which  the  several  parts  of  a  system  are  co-ordinated  and 
united  in  a  consistent  and  harmonious  unit. 

The  word  polity  is  intimately  akin  to  the  word  politics; 
but  the  latter  is  more  closely  confined  to  secular  affairs,  or 
if  used  in  religious  matters  is  commonly  applied  in  a  more 
narrow  and  restricted,  and  often  in  an  uncomplimentary, 
sense.     "Church  politics"  may  be  sometimes  spoken  of  in 


CHURCH   POLITY 


contempt,  as  of  scheming  and  self-seeking  in  church  affairs ; 
and  even  when  not  used  in  a  bad  sense  commonly  refers  to 
matters  of  contest  for  power  or  place;  but  "church  polity" 
is  a  phrase  of  noble  significance,  as  of  the  science  of  church 
government,  the  broad  basis  of  management  in  church 
administration. 

The  words  "polity"  and  "politics"  are  derived  from  the 
Latin  politicus,  which  in  turn  was  derived  from  the  Greek 
politeia,  whose  root  is  polls,  a  city;  and  are  words  of  gov- 
ernment. Policy,  also,  may  be  from  the  same  root;  but  is 
sometimes  derived  from  the  Latin  polyptycha,  account 
books,  or  registers  of  taxes,  or  from  the  Greek  pohiptuchos, 
from  polus,  many,  and  ptux,  leaf;  referring  to  the  many 
leaves  of  public  registers.  Polity  as  an  ecclesiastical  term 
has  a  far  nobler  connotation  than  either  politics  or  policy. 

It  would  thus  be  proper  to  say  that  all  the  Congrega- 
tional churches  have  a  polity  which  is  essentially  the  same ; 
but  that  the  policy  of  each  local  church  is  determined  from 
time  to  time  by  that  church  for  itself;  that  an  ambitious 
man  secures  a  coveted  position  by  a  shrewd  stroke  of 
church  politics,  but  in  defiance  of  the  well  ordered  prin- 
ciples of  church  polity. 

Church  Polity.  Of  properties  common  to  all  societies  Christian, 
it  will  not  be  denied  that  one  of  the  very  chiefest  is  ecclesiastical 
polity.  Which  word  I  therefore  the  rather  use,  because  the  name 
of  government,  as  commonly  men  understand  it  in  ordinary  speech, 
doth  not  comprise  the  largeness  of  that  whereunto  in  this  question 
it  is  applied.  .  .  .  To  our  purpose  therefore  the  name  of  church 
polity  will  better  serve,  because  it  containeth  both  government  and 
also  whatsoever  besides  belongeth  to  the  ordering  of  the  church  in 
public. — Hooker:   Ecclesiastical  Polity,  Bk.  Ill,  ch.  i,  sec.  14. 

Ecclesiastical  Polity.  Ecclesiastical  polity,  or  church  government 
or  discipline,  is  nothing  else  but  that  form  and  order  that  is  to  be 
observed  in  the  Church  of  Christ,  upon  earth,  both  for  the  constitu- 
tion of  it,  and  all  the  administrations  that  therein  are  to  be  per- 
formed.— Cambridge  Platform:  i:  1. 

Our  Sacred  Heritage  in  Congregational  Polity.  That  Controver- 
sies about  Forms  of  Ecclesiastical  Discipline,  concern  not  the  Es- 
sentials of  Religion,  but  that  Good  Men  may  be  of  various  Senti- 
ments about  them;  Salva  Fide,  et  Caritate,  is  readily  acknowledged. 
Nevertheless  there  ought  to  be  a  singular  Regard  unto  Truths  of 
this  Nature,  by  us  in  New-England,  above  what  may  be  affirmed  of 
Men  in  any  other  Part  of  the  World,  since  our  Fathers  were  Perse- 


6  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

cuted  out  of  their  Native  Land,  and  fain  to  fly  into  the  Wilderness, 
for  their  Testimony  thereunto:  great  were  the  Difficulties  and 
Temptations,  and  Straits,  which  they  for  some  time  conflicted  with, 
and  all  upon  no  other  Account,  but  that  so  they  might  enjoy  a  pure 
Discipline  and  Church  state,  exactly  conformable  to  the  Mind  of 
Christ,  revealed  in  the  Holy  Scriptures.  On  which  Account,  for 
their  Posterity  to  depart  from  what  their  Fathers  have  with  so 
much  Clearness  of  Scripture  Light,  taught  and  practiced,  and  con- 
firmed with  so  great  Sufferings;  must  needs  be  a  greater  Sin  and 
Provocation  to  the  Eyes  of  his  Glory,  than  may  be  said  of  any 
other  People  on  the  Face  of  the  Earth. — Increase  Mather:  Disq.  con. 
Eccl.  Councils,  i. 

What  are  the  Essential  Forms  of  Church  Government? 
Theoretically  all  church  governments  may  be  resolved  into 
three  kinds: 

First :     A  government  by  one  man. 

Second:  A  government  by  all  the  people  of  the  con 
gregation  or  church. 

Third:  A  government  by  more  than  one  man  and  less 
than  the  whole  body  of  the  people. 

These  three  forms  may  be  called  the  monarchical,  demo- 
cratic, and  oligarchical.  They  correspond  to  forms  essen- 
tially similar  in  the  government  of  the  state.  The  three- 
fold classification  has  been  recognized  since  the  time  of 
Aristotle. 

Practically,  however,  these  definitions  do  not  suffice. 
Not  even  the  papacy  is  an  absolute  monarchy,  and  Congre- 
gationalism is  far  from  being  an  unqualified  and  unlimited 
democracy.  Modern  church  governments  combine  in  them- 
selves various  elements,  and  may  therefore  be  described 
under  other  terms  than  those  of  primary  or  theoretical 
organization. 

A  more  convenient  grouping  for  analysis  and  study  is 
the  following: 

(i)  The  Papal.  The  papal  form  of  government  is  one 
in  which  one  man  stands  as  the  highest  and  foremost  ex- 
ponent of  authority.  The  most  prominent  illustration  of 
this  type  of  government  is  that  of  the  Church  of  Rome. 

(2)  The  Episcopal.  In  the  episcopal  type  of  govern- 
ment the  highest  authority  is  expressed  in  a  group  of 
bishops,  conceived  of  as  a  rank  or  order  of  the  clergy  higher 


CHURCH  POLITY 


than  that  of  the  elders  or  local  pastors.  The  most  promi- 
nent example  of  this  form  of  government  in  this  country- 
is  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

(3)  The  Presbyterian.  The  presbyterian  form  of  gov- 
ernment is  one  in  which  the  church  is  governed  by  the 
elders,  or  presbyters.  The  most  important  examples  for 
our  study  are  the  Presbyterian  and  Methodist  Episcopal 
churches. 

The  presbyterian  form  of  government  does  not  require 
a  government  wholly  by  the  clergy.  A  part  of  the  elders 
who  constitute  the  governing  body  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  are  "teaching  elders."  The  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  is  episcopal  in  form,  but  not  in  government.  The 
episcopate  is  counted  to  be  not  an  order  but  an  officCj.  and 
the  government  is  through  conferences  in  which  are  both 
clerical  and  lay  representatives.. 

(4)  The  Congregational.  The  Congregational  form  of 
government  is  that  in  which  final  authority  resides  in  the_ 
whole~body~of  the  peopFe.  The  Congregational  denomina- 
tion is  only  one  of  several  bodies  which  recognize  the  con- 
gregational form  of  government.  The  Baptists,  Disciples 
of  Christ,  Universalists,  Unitarians,  and,  to  the  extent  that 
they  recognize  the  autonomy  of  the  local  church,  the 
Lutherans,  and  all  other  churches  in  which  the  final  author- 
ity is  expressed  through  a  vote  of  the  membership,  are  con- 
gregational in  government. 

Like  the  river  in  the  Garden  of  Eden  that  rises  in  one 
head  and  parts  into  four  streams,  the  organic  life  of  Chris- 
tianity flows  through  these  four  main  channels.  Although 
they  sometimes  seem  to  merge  into  each  other,  they  will 
be  found  sufficiently  distinct  for  the  purpose  of  accurate 
study. 

Three  Kinds  of  Government.  Of  political  constitutions  there  are 
three  kinds,  and  equal  in  number  are  the  deflections  from  them, 
that  is  to  say,  the  corruptions  of  them.  The  former  are  kingship, 
aristocracy,  and  that  which  recognizes  the  principle  of  wealth, 
which  it  seems  appropriate  to  call  timocracy,  and  which  people 
commonly  call  constitutional  government. — Aristotle:  Ethics,  Book 
VIII,  ch.  X. 


8  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

Is  Polity  Identical  with  Ecclesiastical  Law?  Ecclesiasti- 
cal law,  as  the  term  is  employed  in  Congregational  church 
government  and  generally  in  the  United  States,  is  not  identi- 
cal with  polity.  Ecclesiastical  law  is  used  with  reference  to 
the  procedure  of  civil  courts  in  ecclesiastical  affairs;  while 
polity  is  the  system  whereby  churches  govern  themselves, 
or  are  governed  by  superior  ecclesiastical  bodies  in  the 
transaction  of  their  own  business. 

What  is  the  Relation  of  Polity  to  Creed?  There  is  no 
fixed  or  necessary  relation  between  any  type  of  polity  and 
any  particular  type  of  creed.  There  might  be  a  papal  form 
of  government  teaching  that  there  is  one  God,  and  a  similar 
form  of  polity  combined  with  a  creed  teaching  that  there 
are  many  gods.  The  democratic  or  congregational  type  of 
government  can  be  employed  either  by  evangelical  or  non- 
evangelical  churches.  However,  certain  forms  of  polity 
tend  to  certain  credal  relations.  In  general,  a  church  that 
is  monarchical  in  its  forms  of  government  holds  its  mem- 
bers less  rigidly  to  written  forms  of  statement  than  a 
church  governed  by  bishops ;  and  a  church  whose  govern- 
ment resides  in  the  whole  body  of  the  people  tends  to  a 
larger  liberality  in  matters  of  creed  subscription  than  a 
church  more  compactly  organized. 

What  is  the  Relation  Between  Church  Polity  and  Civil 
Government?  There  is  no  necessary  and  fixed  relation  be- 
tween any  one  form  of  church  polity  and  any  particular 
form  of  civil  government,  except  where  the  church  exists 
in  organic  union  with  the  state.  In  a  democratic  country 
like  America,  churches  of  many  types  of  government  exist 
in  equal  freedom  side  by  side.  The  form  and  constitution 
of  the  church  itself  are  greatly  influenced  by  the  form  of 
government  in  the  state,  and  this  influence  is  reciprocal. 
When  Christianity  became  the  state  religion  under  Con- 
stantine  its  form  of  government  was  greatly  modified.  The 
government  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  several  states 
have  been  profoundly  influenced  by  the  democratic  type  of 
government  which  existed  in  the  free  churches  of  the  col- 


CHURCH   POLITY 


onies  before  the  Declaration  of  Independence.  King  James 
of  England  was  right  in  the  assumption  expressed  in  his 
epigram,  "No  bishop,  no  king."  It  was  largely  because 
they  found  it  feasible  to  conduct  the  business  of  the  church 
without  a  bishop  that  the  Puritans  counted  themselves  en- 
tirely competent  to  manage  the  affairs  of  a  state  without  a 
king.  The  simple  organization  of  the  Pilgrim  church  led 
naturally  to  the  Mayflower  compact.  First,  "they  threw 
off  this  anti-Christian  yoke  of  bondage,  and  as  the  Lord's 
free  people  joined  themselves  into  a  church-estate,"  and 
then  in  the  name  of  God  they  "organized  and  combined 
themselves  into  a  civil  body  politic." 

The  government  of  the  Congregational  churches  and  of 
the  United  States  are  closely  related,  both  in  substance  and 
in  history.  The  form  of  government  which  the  Pilgrims 
based  on  manhood  suffrage  and  the  authority  of  God  in 
the  affairs  of  the  church  they  wrought  also  into  the  founda- 
tion of  their  republic  at  Plymouth  Rock,  whence  in  time 
it  found  a  place  in  the  government  of  the  United  States. 

Development  of  Church  Law.  The  Church  saw  herself  confronted 
by  a  highly  cultivated  state,  to  whose  law,  however,  she  was  unable 
to  take  up  a  consistent  attitude  from  the  beginning.  Had  she  re- 
fused to  recognize  the  state  in  every  relation,  she  would  soon  have 
been  shattered  by  it.  Had  she  been  able  simply  to  acquiesce  in 
civil  government,  there  would  have  been  no  question  of  forming  a 
legislative  system  of  her  own  except  to  a  very  modest  extent. 
Just  because  her  relation  to  the  state  was  complicated,  just  because 
she  both  submitted  to  it  (Romans  xiii)  and  opposed  it  (Apocalypse 
of  John,  etc.),  just  because  she  unconsciously  took  it  as  a  model 
and  yet  refused  to  recognize  it,  she  found  herself  at  last  possessed 
of  a  permanent  legislative  system  corresponding  to  the  secular  sys- 
tem of  the  state. — Harnack:  The  Constitution  and  Law  of  the 
Church,  p.  143. 

Church  and  Civil  Government  Before  the  Reformation.  Constan- 
tine  and  his  successors  in  the  empire,  having  removed  from  Chris- 
tianity the  stigma  of  an  illicit  religion,  proceeded  to  recognize  and 
legalize  the  power  of  the  bishops  over  the  communities  under  their 
care.  The  distinction,  now  so  founded,  between  church  govern- 
ment and  civil  government,  had  never  been  defined  or  discussed, 
and  it  was  therefore  natural  for  the  ministers  of  a  religion  recog- 
nized and  protected  by  the  state  to  become  in  some  sort  and  to 
some  extent  functionaire  of  the  imperial  power. — Bacon:  Genesis  of 
the  New  England  Churches,  p.  44. 


II.    THE   CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE 

What  Is  the  Basic  Congregational  Principle?  The  basic 
principle  of  Congregationalism  is  the  supreme  leadership 
of  Christ  and  the  priesthood  of  all  believers;  the  autonomy 
of  the  local  church;  and  the  fellowship  both  of  Christian 
brethren  within  the  church  and  of  the  churches  one  with 
another. 

While  it  is  possible  to  carry  definitive  analysis  further, 
it  is  better  for  practical  purposes  to  state  the  principle 
thus,  but  these  three  principles  are  one. 

The  National  Council  Affirmation.  We  believe  in  the  freedom 
and  responsibility  of  the  individual  soul,  and  the  right  of  private 
judgment.  We  hold  to  the  autonomy  of  the  local  church  and  its 
independence  of  all  ecclesiastical  control.  We  cherish  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  churches,  united  in  district,  state  and  national  bodies, 
for  counsel  and  co-operation  in  matters  of  common  concern. — 
Preamble  to  National  Council  Constitution,  1913. 

Congregationalism.  It  embodies  three  fundamental  principles: 
(1)  that  it  is  the  right  and  duty  of  believers  in  Jesus  Christ  in 
every  community  to  organize  for  Christian  work  and  worship,  and 
that  such  an  organization  is  a  Christian  church;  (2)  that  each  such 
church  is  by  right  independent  of  all  external  ecclesiastical  con- 
trol, and  in  any  such  church  all  members  possess  equal  ecclesiasti- 
cal authority  and  that  such  churches  owe  a  duty  of  Christian 
fellowship  and  co-operation  to  one  another.  This  fellowship  and 
co-operation  is  exercised  among  those  who  bear  the  name  of  Con- 
gregationalists,  by  means  of  councils,  conferences,  consociations, 
and  associations. — Century  Dictionary. 

Principles  of  Congregationalism.  Congregationalism  is  the 
.democratic  form  of  church  order  and  government.  It  derives  its 
naime  from  the  prominence  which  it  gives  to  the  congregation  of 
Christian  believers.  It  vests  all  ecclesiastical  power  (under  Christ) 
in  the  associated  brotherhood  of  each  local  church,  as  an  inde- 
pendent body.  At  the  same  time  it  recognizes  a  fraternal  and 
equal  fellowship  between  these  independent  churches,  which  in- 
vests each  with  the  right  and  duty  of  advice  and  reproof,  and  even 
of  the  public  withdrawal  of  that  fellowship  in  case  the  course 
pursued  by  another  of  the  sisterhood  should  demand  such  action 
for  the  preservation  of  its  own  purity  and  consistency.  Herein 
Congregationalism,  as  a  system,  differs  from  Independency;  which 
"affirms  the  seat  of  ecclesiastical  power  to  reside  in  the  brotherhood 
so  zealously  as  to  ignore  any  check,  even  of  advice,  upon  its  action. 
Still,  as  this  difference  is  only  one  of  the  exaggeration  of  a  first 
principle,  it  follows  that  every  Independent  church  is  Congrega- 
tional, though  few  Congregational  churches  are  Independent — in 
this  strict  and  Brownist  sense. — Dexter:  Congregationalism,  pp.  1,2. 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE  11 

The  Ideal  of  Congregationalism.  Its  ideal  is  that  the  Church 
should  be  the  organized  expression  of  the  creative  will  of  Christ, 
as  revealed  to  believers  in  devotional  and  deliberative  fellowship. 
The  aim  of  a  Congregational  church,  in  ultimate  definition,  is  to 
give  effect,  throughout  the  entire  field  of  its  activities,  to  that 
supreme  and  sovereign  principle.  So  that,  "when  the  Church 
reaches  its  ideal  perfection,  the  acts  of  the  Church  are  the  acts  of 
Christ,  and  what  it  binds  on  earth  is  bound  in  heaven,  and  what 
it  looses  on  earth  is  loosed  in  heaven."  Those  are  the  words  of 
Dr.  Dale,  and  it  is  significant  that  in  his  application  of  that  prin- 
ciple he  lays  stress,  not  upon  the  right  of  every  man  to  share  in 
the  government  of  the  Church,  but  upon  the  responsibility  of  each 
to  secure  in  the  discipline,  doctrine,  and  worship  of  the  Church 
the  supremacy  of  its  Divine  Founder  and  Lord.  So  long  as  we 
effectively  ensure  the  living  headship  of  Christ  and  the  responsi- 
bility of  believers  to  discover  the  living  will  of  Christ,  polity  may 
be  safely  regarded  as  subsidiary  and  rcvisable. — Meredith  Davis: 
Congregationalism  and  Its  Ideal,  Constructive  Quarterly,' Septem- 
ber, 1905,  pp.  550,  551.  ^—  -    C.     _ 


What  Is  the  Priesthood  of  all  Believers?  The  priesthood 
of  all  believers  is  the  great  charter  of  the  Christian  faith. 
It  has  its  authority  in  the  profoundly  significant  words  of 
Christ,  "Thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet, 
and  when  thou  hast  shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  who 
is  in  secret."   ^ 

The  inherent  right  of  every  Christian  soul  to  approach 
God  directly  is  the  most  precious  truth  of  Christianity. 
Whatever  room  there  is  for  priestly  intercession  must  be 
made  without  trespassing  on  this  fundamental  and  inde- 
feasible right  of  every  soul  to  approach  within  the  holy 
of  holies  and  draw  near  to  the  throne  of  grace.  In  Jesus 
Christ  the  temple  veil  is  rent  in  twain.  In  the  vision  of 
John  in  the  Apocalypse  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant  is  in  plain 
sight  of  the  congregation  of  Christian  worshippers,  ^jiegt: 
hood  as  a  usurpation  of  the  right  to  thrust  a  system  be- 
tween God  and  the  soul  has  no  rightful  place  in  Chris- 
tianity, _. 

This   priesthood   of  believers   enthrones   Christ   as   the 
only  Lord  of  the  Church,  and  carries  with  it  as  a  corollary 
the  spiritual  equality  of  brethren  in  Christ.     The  funda- 
mental law  of  Congregationalis'm^Ts'the  supreme  authority  ^  C^MJ^ 
of  Christ!  ' 


f- 


The  Lordship  of  Christ.     During  the  rise  of  English  Independ- 


12  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

cncy  in  the  sixteenth  and  seventeenth  centuries  the  question  that 
is  chiefly  to  the  fore  is  the  higher  constitution  of  the  Church  as 
distinct  from  its  administrative  regulations.  Without  dealing  in 
detail  with  the  viev^^s  of  the  various  leaders,  w^e  may  summarize 
their  main  contentions  as  being: 

(a)  That  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  alone  the  Head  of  the 
Church  and  that  the  administrative  finality  of  the  state  in  church 
affairs  v^ras  a  practical  violation  of  that. 

(b)  That  the  governance  of  Christ  in  the  life  of  the  Church 
was  a  perfectly  practicable  ideal  and  alone  ensured  validity  to  its 
procedure. 

(c)  That  membership  of  the  Church  was  a  personal  and  not  a 
parochial  matter,  and  that  therefore  there  could  be  no  integration 
into  the  Body  of  Christ  except  through  individual  confession  of 
faith. 

Those  were  the  primary  and  creative  principles,  though  they 
were  soon  followed  with  corollaries  affirming  local  independence 
and  democratic  franchise  (based  on  Christocratic  control)  and 
eventually  separation  of  Church  and  State.  And  the  tragic  vein 
in  Independent  history  is  that  these  corollaries  have  obscured  and 
largely  displaced  the  cardinal  and  creative  principles.  Hence  the 
familiar  misconception  that  Congregationalism  is  "democracy  ap- 
plied to  church  affairs,"  against  which  Dr.  Dale  so  frequently 
protested.  Hence  also  the  mistranslation  of  spiritual  autonomy 
into  an  exaggerated  separatism,  involving  not  only  severance  from 
the  state  but  isolation  from  churches  of  its  own  order.  These 
extravagancies  must  be  read  not  only  as  declensions  from  the 
classic  ideal,  but  as  proof  that  the  Nonconformist  spirit  had  not 
found  fitting  and  final  institutional  form. — Meredith  Davis:  Congre- 
gationalism and  Its  Ideal,  Constructive  Quarterly,  September,  1915, 
pp.  550,  551. 

Robert  Browne's  Declaration.  Because  euerie  one  of  the  Church 
is  made  a  King,  a  Priest,  and  a  prophet  vnder  Christ,  to  uphold 
and  further  the  Kingdom  of  God,  &  to  break  and  destroy  the 
Kingdome  of  Antichrist  and  Sathan.  How  are  all  Christians 
made  Priestes  vnder  Christ?  They  present  and  offer  vp  praires 
unto  God,  for  them  selves  &  for  others.  They  turne  others  from 
iniquitie,  so  that  attonement  is  made  in  Christ  unto  justification. 
In  them  also  and  for  them  others  are  sanctified,  by  partaking  the 
graces  of  Christ  vnto  them. — Robert  Browne:  A  Book  Which  Show- 
eth  the  Life,  etc. 

The  Sacredness  of  Personality.  It  is,  indeed,  difficult  to  state 
the  truth  of  this  principle  in  any  unexceptionable  form  as  a  logical 
proposition.  A  certain  doctrine  and  spirit  of  Christian  individual- 
ism is,  however,  an  unmistakable  characteristic  of  our  polity.  The 
roots  of  this  principle  of  a  just  individualism  lie  deep  down  and 
far  back.  They  are  as  far  back  in  the  Bible  as  the  primitive 
utterance  in  which  God  says,  "Let  us  make  man  in  our  image"; 
or  the  covenant  of  Mosaism,  which  gives  to  each  of  the  followers 
of  Jehovah  the  title  of  priest  and  king.  This  principle  is,  however, 
as  far  as  possible  from  a  declaration  of  contemptuous  disregard 
of  influence,  or  even  authority  (if  you  will  use  the  word  in  its 
modified    meaning),    within    the    Church    of    Christ.     The    Lord's 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE 13 

bondman  is  no  man's  bondman,  though  he  should  be  servant  of 
all.  Every  Christian,  however  unlearned  and  weak,  stands  in  es- 
sentially the  same  relations  with  every  other,  however  wise  and 
strong. — Ladd:  Church  Polity,  p.  49. 

How  to  Know  the  Will  of  Christ.  In  every  Christian  church 
the  will  of  Christ  is  the  supreme  authority.  But  how  are  we  to 
know  the  will  of  Christ?  The  early  Puritans  and  Congregation- 
alists  insisted  on  the  production  of  definite  authority  from  the 
Holy  Scriptures  in  support  of  every  detail  of  church  organization 
and  of  every  church  rule  and  practice.  Unless  a  church  office  or 
custom  had  the  explicit  sanction  either  of  a  scriptural  precept  or 
of  apostolic  example,  they  condemned  it  as  unlawful.  They  applied 
the  same  rigid  test  to  the  forms  and  circumstances  of  Christian 
worship.  It  was  a  noble  and,  perhaps,  a  necessary  error.  In  en- 
deavoring to  correct  the  enormous  abuses  and  corruptions  which 
had  paralyzed  the  divine  forces  of  the  Church  and  obscured  the 
glory  of  Christian  worship — abuses  and  corruptions  which  had 
become  inveterate  by  the  usage  of  many  centuries,  and  which  were 
supported  by  the  whole  force  of  the  Church  and  the  State — they 
were  driven  to  this  incessant  and  exclusive  appeal  to  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  But  the  principle  was  false.  The  Church  of  Christ  is 
not  under  the  bondage  of  the  "letter";  it  has  the  freedom  of  the 
Spirit. — Dale:  Congregational  Manual,  pp.  38,  39. 

What  Is  the  Autonomy  of  the  Local  Church?  The  prin- 
ciple involved  in  the  autonomy  of  the  local  church  is  the 
authority  of  each  local  congregation  to  govern  itself,  in  all 
matters  relating  to  its  own  internal  administration,  in  a 
spirit  of  Christian  love  and  fellowship. 

Local  Autonomy.  If  precedent  goes  for  anything,  if  John 
Cotton  and  John  Wilson  and  John  Winthrop  knew  what  they 
meant  when  they  talked  of  a  Congregational  church,  they  meant 
a  church  which  was  wholly  independent  in  its  relations  to  other 
churches,  of  which  the  individual  members  even  were  wholly  inde- 
pendent in  their  approach  to  God.  They  really  believed  that  all 
their  church  members  were  kings  and  priests.  This  was  no  poetical 
formula  to  be  tucked  out  of  sight  whenever  it  was  desirable  to 
have  it  in  the  closet.  It  was  the  theory  of  religion  in  which  these 
men  lived  and  moved  and  had  their  being. — Edward  Everett  Hale: 
Unitarianism  and  Original  Congregationalism,  p.  5. 

Local  Church  Independent,  Its  constitutive  principle  is  the 
independence  under  Christ  of  each  fully  constituted  Church  of 
Christ,  or  the  autonomy  under  Christ  of  every  local  congregation 
of  believers  duly  organized.  This  church  independence  is  the 
principle  which  makes  Congregationalism  what  it  is.  It  governs 
all  its  institutions  and  determines  all  questions  that  arise  touching 
order.  And  we  mean  by  independence  here  the  right  and  duty 
under  Christ  of  each  fully  constituted  local  church  to  manage  its 
own  affairs,  elect  and  ordain  all  its  oflficers,  administer  its  discipline, 
and  determine  its  mode  of  fellowship,  without  external  account- 
ability and  control,  but  in  harmony  with  the  fellowship  of  unity 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven. — Ross:  Church  Kingdom,  p.  80. 


14  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

The  Ecclesia  Is  Autonomous.  The  brotherhood  is  the  govern- 
ment. As  the  ecclesia  of  Athens  was  the  sovereign  assembly,  and 
Pericles  or  Demosthenes  only  reasoned  with  it,  convinced  it,  and 
so  led  it,  the  Christian  ecclesia,  with  Christ  in  the  midst,  is  her 
own  authority.  Even  the  greatest  of  her  members,  Augustine, 
Luther,  or  Wesley,  is  only  able  to  lead  by  the  suasion  of  truth 
and  the  gift  of  the  Spirit.  The  autonomy  of  the  congregation  in 
the  New  Testament  is  surprising,  both  on  account  of  the  poor 
materials  of  which  the  church  was  composed,  and  also  because  the 
Apostles,  fresh  from  the  experience  of  Christ,  and  endued  with 
the  Holy  Spirit,  were  yet  present,  and  might  have  seemed  entitled 
to  override  this  independence.  But,  in  the  case  of  Paul,  at  any 
rate  (in  the  case  of  the  Twelve  our  information  is  defective),  the 
apostolic  authority  was  only  used  to  elicit  and  establish  the  con- 
gregational independence.  In  no  case  are  officers  or  ministers 
appointed  without  the  consent  of  the  congregation.  If  there  is 
doubt  whether  the  church  elected,  it  is  certain  that  it  showed  its 
approbation.  A  decree  made  by  the  Twelve  at  Jerusalem  was 
valid  only  because  it  was  issued  "with  the  whole  church"  (Acts 
xv:22).  The  discipline  was  exercised  by  the  whole  church  assem- 
bled in  the  name  of  Jesus;  the  apostolic  authority  was  present 
only  as  a  spirit  of  counsel  and  support.  The  men  who  were  called 
upon  to  exercise  this  sovereign  function  of  government,  legislative 
and  administrative,  were  morally  ill-developed;  tainted  with 
heathenism,  they  with  difficulty  escaped  from  their  past.  But  it 
does  not  occur  to  the  Apostles  to  delay  their  franchise  until  they 
are  full  grown,  until  they  can  be  fed  on  meat  and  not  merely  on 
rnilk.  Rather,  as  in  political  training  generally,  the  power  to  exer- 
cise the  functions  of  government,  the  responsibility  of  decision  and 
action  can  be  acquired  only  by  practice. — Norton:  The  Early 
Church,  pp.  142,  143. 

An  Early  Declaration.  Every  true  visible  church  is  a  company 
of  people  called  and  separated  from  the  world  by  the  word  of 
God  and  joyned  together  by  voluntary  profession  of  the  faith  of 
Christ  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Gospel.  Being  thus  joyned,  every 
Church  hath  power  in  Christ  to  take  unto  themselves  meet  and 
sufficient  persons  into  the  offices  and  functions  of  Pastors,  Teach- 
ers, Elders,  Deacons  and  Helpers  as  those  whom  Christ  hath 
appointed  in  his  Testament. — Platform  of  the  London-Amsterdam 
Church,  1596. 

What  Is  the  Principle  of  Christian  Fellowship?  The 
principle  of  Christian  fellowship  as  interpreted  by  Congre- 
gationalists  involves  the  fellowship  of  individual  Christians 
within  the  local  church  and  the  fellowship  of  churches 
united  for  the  purpose  of  advice  and  counsel,  or  for  the 
doing  of  their  common  work. 

The  principle  of  fellowship  has  been  so  often  neglected 
in  Congregationalism  in  the  over-emphasis  of  local  auton- 
omy that  some  writers  have  sought  to  rectify  this  mistake 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE  15 

by  a  compensating  over-emphasis  of  fellowship.  Thus 
Dr.  George  M.  Boynton  in  his  interesting  work  on  "The 
Congregational  Way"  speaks  of  fellowship  as  "the  sole 
Congregational  principle,"  but  this  can  hardly  be  defended 
save  by  an  elasticity  of  terms  which  makes  it  include  the 
rest  of  the  Congregational  principle. 

Dr.  Boynton's  Single  Principle.  It  has  been  common  to  speak 
of  two  principles  as  being  equally  fundamental  to  Congregational- 
ism, independence  and  fellowship.  They  have  been  called  the  two 
foci  of  the  Congregational  ellipse.  But  we  are  disposed  to  con- 
sider that  Congregationalism  is  a  more  perfect  form  of  church 
organization  than  can  be  symbolized  by  the  ellipse,  and  to  regard 
fellowship  as  its  one  central  principle.  For  fellowship  can  only 
exist  in  its  truest  and  most  perfect  form  between  those  who  are 
mutually  independent. — The  Congregational  Way,  p.  9. 

The  London  Confession.  And  although  the  particular  congre- 
gations be  distinct  and  severall  bodies,  every  one  as  a  compact 
and  Knit  Citie  within  itselfe,  yet  are  they  all  to  walke  by  one  rule 
of  truth;  So  also  they  (by  all  means  convenient)  and  to  have  the 
counsell  and  helpe  one  of  another,  if  necessitie  require  it,  as  mem- 
bers of  one  body,  in  the  common  faith,  under  Christ  their  head. — 
1646. 

Boston  Platform.  Although  churches  are  distinct,  and  therefore 
may  not  be  confounded  one  with  another;  and  equal,  and  therefore 
have  not  dominion  one  over  another;  yet  all  the  churches  ought 
to  preserve  church  communion  one  with  another,  because  they 
are  all  united  to  Christ  as  integral  parts  of  his  one  Catholic 
Church,  militant  against  the  evil  that  is  in  the  world,  and  visible 
in  the  profession  of  the  Christian  faith,  in  the  observance  of  the 
Christian  sacraments,  in  the  manifestation  of  the  Christian  life, 
and  in  the  worship  of  the  one  God  of  our  salvation,  the  Father, 
and  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.— 1865.  (Dr.  Quint  stated  that 
this  section  was  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Leonard  Bacon. — Dunning: 
Congregationalists,  p.  490.) 

What  Is  Congregationalism?  Congregationalism  is  that 
system  of  church  organization  which  recognizes  the  equal 
rights  of  all  believers,  the  independence  and  autonomy  of 
the  local  church,  and  the  association  of  the  churches 
through  voluntary  organizations  devised  for  fellowship  and 
co-operation,  but  without  ecclesiastical  authority.  These 
principles  are  not  now  held  exclusively  by  the  body  known 
as  Congregational,  but  have  grown  to  increasing  recogni- 
tion in  other  bodies  also.  Still,  these  cardinal  points  of 
church  government  are  the  peculiar  heritage  of  the  body 
which  bears  the  Congregational  name.    The  name  was  not 


16  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

chosen  at  the  outset,  nor  was  it  the  intent  of  the  founders 
to  select  a  name.  In  the  beginning  of  the  movement  in 
America  the  churches  were  known  simply  as  "The  Church 
of  Christ  in  Plymouth,"  or  "in  Boston,"  or  "in  Salem"; 
and  as  the  churches  increased  they  were  designated  as  First 
or  Second,  or  by  their  streets  or  locations.  But  as  denom- 
inations multiplied,  and  to  avoid  confusion,  these  churches 
in  which  the  final  appeal  was  to  the  membership  took  the 
name  of  Congregational. 

The  Congregational  Theory.  The  Congregational  theory  of  the 
Christian  Church  is  that  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  being  itself  one, 
has  but  one  normal  manifestation,  or  natural  development,  which 
appears  first  in  individual  churches,  equal  in  origin,  rights,  func- 
tions, and  duties,  M^hich  are  consequently  independent  one  of  an- 
other in  matters  of  control;  then  in  associations  of  churches  with- 
out authority  by  which  the  fraternity  and  unity  of  all  Christians 
are  expressed  and  the  churches  co-operate  in  Christian  labors,  all 
being  subject  to  Christ  alone  and  to  his  revealed  will.  It  shuns 
independency  on  the  one  hand,  with  which  it  is  sometimes  con- 
founded, and  on  the  other  hand  the  exercise  of  authority  by  asso- 
ciated churches.  It  also  avoids  all  ministerial  or  prelatical  rule. — 
Ross:  The  Church  Kingdom,  p.  79. 

Manhood  and  Machinery.  One  definition  of  Congregationalism 
is  that  it  is  that  polity  which  puts  least  in  the  way  of  machinery — 
of  rites,  symbols,  functionaries — between  the  individual  soul  and 
God. — Dexter:  Congregationalism  as  Seen  in  Its  Literature,  p.  714. 

Denominational  Ideals.  No  denomination  is  perfectly  homo- 
geneous in  its  thought  or  aspiration.  But  in  a  striking  degree 
Congregationalists  are  at  one  in  their  emphasis  upon  such  ideals 
as  these: 

1.  Wide  Liberty.  Thought,  speech  and  action  are  unshackled. 
Reliance  is  placed  upon  the  Spirit  of  God,  the  power  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ  and  the  sound  instincts  of  regenerated'lives  for  maintain- 
ing a  pure,  faithful  and  united  church. 

2.  Close  Fellowship.  Realizing  the  weakness  of  isolated  units, 
Congregationalism  urges  each  individual  to  seek  closest  relation 
with  his  fellows  and  each  church  to  seek  the  counsel  of  other 
churches,  and  to  join  with  them  in  common  tasks.  It  seeks  also 
co-operative  relation  with  other  bodies  and  the  ultimate  unity  of 
the  Church  of  Christ. 

3.  Thoroughgoing  Democracy.  Congregationalism  has  no  grada- 
tion of  church  courts,  no  inner  circle  of  authority.  Its  ministers  are 
members  of  the  churches  they  serve.  Their  credentials  are  in 
the  keeping  of  groups  of  churches.  There  is  no  place  for  the  poli- 
tician or  the  aristocrat.  Autocracy,  aristocracy  and  plutocracy  are 
not  at  home  in  Congregationalism.  It  seeks  to  look  beyond  the 
incidents  to  the  essentials  of  life. 

4.  Emphasis  upon  Knowledge.     Congregationalism  welcomes  truth 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE  17 

from  whatever  source  drawn,  and  is  confident  that  every  interest 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God  will  profit  by  enlargement  of  knowledge. 
It  finds  in  Christian  history  the  assurance  that  the  future  will  not 
call  for  change  in  the  central  affirmation  of  the  universal  Church 
concerning  the  relation  of  God  in  Christ.  But  it  stands  ready  to 
reshape  its  thought  and  life  as  the  unfolding  of  the  will  and  mind 
of  God  shall  demand. 

5.  The  Exalting  of  Character.  This  is  the  complement  of  the 
last-named  ideal.  It  called  for  a  rational  religion.  This  calls  for 
an  ethical  religion.  Reverent  rationality  and  religious  morality 
are  the  finest  fruitage  of  the  Christian  Church. — Hubert  C.  Herring, 
in  pamphlet,  Matters  Congregational,  1915. 

What  Is  the  Significance  of  the  Term  Congregational? 
The  term  Congregational  began  to  be  used  as  an  adjective 
rather  than  a  proper  name.  It  was  descriptive  of  a  form 
of  government  which  recognized  the  ultimate  authority  of 
the  congregation,  John  Cotton,  first  pastor  of  the  First 
Church  of  Boston,  issued  a  series  of  discussions  on  church 
government,  in  which  he  freely  spoke  of  "the  Congrega- 
tional way."  Richard  Mather  and  other  early  New  Eng- 
land ministers  used  the  word.  The  question  whether  the 
term  Congregational  should  be  used  only  as  a  descriptive 
adjective  and  not  as  a  proper  name  was  carefully  consid- 
ered by  the  National  Council  in  Boston  in  1865,  where  a 
committee,  of  which  Rev.  A.  H.  Quint  was  chairman,  re- 
ported an  answer  to  the  Massachusetts  Convention  of 
Congregational  ministers  in  part,  as  follows: 

The  Affirmation  of  1865.  Our  denomination  is  the  same  with 
that  of  the  first  churches  of  New  England.  We  trace  back  our 
lineage  in  an  uninterrupted  line  to  that  period.  The  same  fellow- 
ship has  been  perpetuated,  based  upon  a  particular  system  of  doc- 
trines and  polity,  to  which  we  now  hold.  The  denomination  which 
we  represent  has  thus  had  a  distinct  and  recognized  existence,  as 
clear  as  history  can  make  any  historical  fact,  by  all  requisite  limi- 
tations and  declarations.  This  denomination  has  always  had  the 
distinctive  name  of  Congregational  churches.  It  is  needless  to 
quote  authorities;  for,  from  the  days  of  John  Cotton,  the  name 
Congregational  was  used  to  designate  a  particular  denomination, 
of  a  faith  well  defined  and  now  unchanged,  as  well  as  a  peculiar 
polity.  Nor  did  any  others,  so  far  as  we  can  learn,  though  holding 
the  same  polity,  assume  that  name  while  not  belonging  to  this 
denomination.  This  distinctive  denominational  name  is  still  our 
heritage  from  the  fathers. — Minutes  of  the  National  Council  of 
1865,  p.  246. 

How  Early  Was  the  Name  Congregational  Used?    The 


18  THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

Cambridge  Synod  of  1648  not  only  defines  the  government 
of  a  Congregational  church  but  distinctly  repudiates  the 
name  Independent.  The  term  which  had  been  used  in 
earlier  literature  received  at  this  first  of  all  general  gather- 
ings of  the  New  England  churches  an  official  sanction. 

The  Earliest  Uses  of  the  Name.  Mr.  C.  W.  Ernst  of  Boston 
furnished  the  article  "Congregational"  to  the  Oxford  New  English 
Dictionary.  The  earliest  examples  he  found  of  the  use  of  the 
word  as  a  proper  name  were  in  Richard  Mather's  "Church  Gov- 
ernment" (1639),  J.  Ball's  "Answer  to  Caune"  (1642),  Baillie's 
"Letters  and  Journals"  (1644),  and  a  Resolution  of  the  House  of 
Commons  (23  January,  1644).  Mr.  Ernst  wrote  me  in  1901  bidding 
me  look  out  for  earlier  instances,  but  I  have  found  none. — Letter 
of  Rev.  William  H.  Cobb,  Librarian  of  Congregational  Library. 

In  the  Cambridge  Platform.  The  state,  the  members  of  the  Mil- 
itant visible  church  walking  in  order,  was  either  before  the  law 
Economical,  that  is  in  families;  or  under  the  law  National;  or, 
since  the  coming  of  Christ  only  Congregational;  (The  term  Inde- 
pendent wee  approve  not)  therefore  neither  national,  provincial, 
nor  classical.  A  Congregational  Church  is  by  the  institution  of 
Christ  a  part  of  the  Militant-visible-church,  consisting  of  a  com- 
pany of  saints  by  calling,  united  into  one  body  by  a  holy  cove- 
nant.— ii,  5-6. 

In  the  Time  of  Cromwell.  The  term  Congregational  came  into 
general  use  about  the  time  of  the  great  civil  war  in  England,  and 
contemporaneously  in  New  England,  as  descriptive  of  a  form  of 
church  polity  in  which  the  local  congregation  is  the  unit  of  organ- 
ization, and  the  source  of  ecclesiastical  government  (e.  g.,  Richard 
Mather,  An  Apologic,  London,  1643  [written  1639],  p.  6,  and  gen- 
erally in  the  literature  of  succeeding  years.)  .  .  .  The  term  Inde- 
pendency was  attached  to  the  system  at  about  the  same  time  as 
that  of  Congregationalism  (in  1642),  and  though  an  object  of  yearly 
protest  (e.  g.,  An  Apologeticall  Narration,  p.  23),  long  remained 
its  usual  designation  in  Great  Britain,  though  it  is  now  generally 
supplanted  by  "Congregationalism."  In  America  it  was  never  in 
use.  Congregationalist  as  a  title  of  the  adherents  of  the  polity  is 
encountered  in  1692  (Cotton  Mather,  Blessed  Unions,  Boston): 
and  "Congregationalism"  in  1716  (Increase  Mather,  Disquisitions 
on  Eccl.  Councils,  Boston,  p.  vi). — Williston  Walker:  Art.  Congre- 
gationalism, in  Hasting's  Diet.  Relig.  and  Ethics. 

The  Word  Congregation.  I  do  not  find  the  word  Congrega- 
tional as  describing  a  church  in  early  English  history,  but  there 
are  plenty  of  instances  where  the  word  congregation  is  used  to 
describe  a  church.  Dale's  "History  of  English  Congregational- 
ism," page  19,  quotes  from  a  document  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
describing  a  company  of  foreigners  who  arrived  in  England  about 
the  year  1160  and  maintained  that  the  church  is  "a  congregation 
of  men  and  women."  Dale  also  quotes  Strype's  "Memorials,"  "the 
congregation  in  Kent  who  went  over  unto  the  congregation  in 
Essex  to  instruct  and  to  join  with  them."    The  exiles  in  Amsterdam 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE  19 

describe  in  their  supplication  to  King  James  "a  congregation  as 
absolutely  independent  and  possessing  all  the  powers  which  Christ 
has  conferred  on  his  church."  Henry  Jacob,  in  1709,  speaks  of 
"those  particular  congregations  as  essentially  true  churches  of 
God."  John  Robinson,  in  1624,  wrote  in  the  name  of  the  Leyden 
Church  "to  the  Church  of  Christ  in  London,"  answering  their 
question  "whether  Mr.  Jacob's  Congregation  be  a  true  Church  or 
no."  The  Bishop  of  Exeter,  in  1631,  wrote  to  Archbishop  Laud: 
"I  hear  to  my  grief  that  there  are  eleven  Congregations  as  they 
call  them,"  etc. 

The  "Congregational  way"  was  the  term  used  by  the  five  dis- 
senting brethren  in  the  Westminster  Assembly  and  I  suppose  the 
title  Congregationalist  arose  from  the  need  of  a  word  to  dis- 
tinguish that  body  from  Presbyterians,  but  this  of  course  was  in 
John  Cotton's  time. 

John  Davenport,  in  1645,  wrote  a  tract  entitled  "The  Power  of 
Congregational  Churches."  Thomas  Hooker's  "Summary  of  Prin- 
ciples" includes  one  which  was  "a  Church  Congregational  is  the 
first  subject  of  the  keys." — Letter  of  Rev.  Albert  E.  Dunning,  D.  D., 
author  of  Congregationalists  in  America. 

Increase  Mather's  Use  of  the  Terms  Congregational,  Congrega- 
tionalist, and  Congregationalism,  It  has  been  injurious  to  those  of 
the  Congregational  persuasion  that  the  name  of  Brownists  has  been 
imposed  upon  them,  from  whom  they  differ  essentially.  .  .  . 
Congregationalists  are  of  quite  another  spirit  and  principle.  .  .  . 
They  are  the  genuine  posterity  of  the  good  Old  Puritan  Noncon- 
formists. .  .  .  There  was  long  since  an  admirable  little  book 
(little  in  bulk  but  great  in  worth)  printed  with  the  title  "Puritan- 
ismus  Anglicanus."  It  is  perfect  Congregationalism. — Disquisition 
concerning  Eccl.  Councils,  Boston  reprint  of  1870,  pp.  4,  5. 

Why  Were  Congregationalists  Called  Brownists?  Con- 
gregationalists were  sometimes  nicknamed  Brownists,  after 
Robert  Browne,  an  early  and  heroic,  though  erratic,  Con- 
gregationalist. For  the  advocacy  of  the  principles  which 
had  large  influence  in  shaping  Congregational  polity,  he 
was  repeatedly  imprisoned  by  Episcopalians  in  England 
and  Presbyterians  in  Scotland,  being  sometimes  confined 
in  dungeons  in  which  he  could  not  see  his  hand  at  noon. 
Neither  Robert  Browne  nor  any  of  his  associates  or  fol- 
lowers accepted  the  name  Brownist. 

The  Father  of  Congregationalism.  Robert  Browne  is  so  called 
not  because  he  founded  the  first  Congregational  church,  for  there 
were  others  earlier;  not  because  he  was  the  leader  of  the  first  en- 
during Congregational  society,  for  the  one  he  founded  died;  but 
because,  not  being  bothered  by  experience,  he  drew  up  a  program 
and  a  constitution  in  which  he  set  forth  abiding  characteristics  of 
poHty. — Vernon:  Southworth  Lectures. 


20  THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

John  Robinson's  Protest.  Another  thing  hee,  John  Robinson, 
commended  to  us,  was  that  wee  should  use  all  meanes  to  avoid  and 
shake  oflf  the  name  of  Brownist,  being  a  meer  nickname  and  brand 
to  make  Religion  Odious. — Winslow:   Hypocrisie  Unmasked. 

Is  Congregationalism  a  Modern  Religion?  Congrega- 
tionalists  do  not  admit  that  theirs  is  a  modern  system  of 
church  government.  They  hold  that  the  New  Testament 
teaches  that  cases  of  discipline  under  the  apostles  were 
decided  "by  the  majority"  (I  Cor.  5  :  4,  II  Cor.  2 :  6,  margin), 
and  that  Christ's  only  direction  for  church  government 
provided  a  specific  course  of  discipline  whose  last  appeal 
was  to  the  local  church  (Matt.  18:  18).  They  affirm  that 
the  New  Testament  knew  no  series  of  ranks  in  the  min- 
istry, with  priests,  bishops,  archbishops,  cardinals  and 
popes,  but  that  every  pastor  was  a  bishop,  and  that  the 
two  words,  bishop  and  presbyter,  occur  in  such  relations 
to  each  other  as  to  show  with  remarkable  clearness  that 
the  two  offices  were  one.  In  this  opinion  they  are  sus- 
tained by  such  scholars  as  Martin  Luther,  Arminius,  John 
Calvin,  Dean  Alford,  Pope  Urban  II,  and  a  multitude  of 
other  scholars  of  all  the  leading  denominations.  Indeed, 
while  no  opinion  can  be  said  to  be  undisputed,  even  by 
names  of  weight,  there  is  probably  no  question  concerning 
the  government  of  the  early  church  about  which  there  is 
jnore  general  agreement  of  scholars  than  that  the  two 
offices  of  the  early  church  were  those  of  presbyter,  or  min- 
ister, and  deacon,  and  that  local  congregatjons  were  self- 
governing. 

Congregational  Antiquity.  Congregationalists  are  the  only 
lineal  descendants  of  the  Apostles.  They  do  not  claim  that  their 
polity  can  be  traced  back  historically,  by  an  unbroken  chain,  to 
the  apostolic  age.  That  cannot  be  done  by  any  denomination. 
But  they  do  claim  a  historical  connection  with  the  Apostles  on  the 

Iground  of  a  oneness  of  principles. — Doi'us  Clarke:    OvXhodo-x.  Con- 

Igregationalism  and  the  Sects,  p.  Z2. 

How  Did  Congregationalism  Reach  America?  Modern 
Congregationalism  in  America  came  to  us  by  way  of  Plym- 
outh Rock  and  the  Mayflower.  An  interesting  and  im- 
portant development  of  its  life  appeared  somewhat  more 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE  21 

than  three  hundred  years  ago,  in  the  organization  of  the 
church  at  Scrooby,  in  England,  in  1606.  It  was  this  church 
that,  being  persecuted  with  incredible  cruelty  for  no  other 
reason  than  the  determination  of  its  members  to  worship 
God  in  the  simple  and  orderly  manner  of  their  church, 
migrated  to  Holland  in  1607-08,  whence  a  dozen  years  later 
a  portion  of  the  same  church  came  to  America  in  the  May- 
flower, Their  church  organization  in  1606,  which  serves 
in  some  sort  as  a  pattern  for  modern  Congregational 
churches,  and  their  organization  of  a  free  government  in 
1620,  to  which  our  national  government  is  deeply  indebted, 
rested  on  no  disputable  succession,  no  unholy  alliance  of 
recreant  and  apostate  church  with  truckling  and  corrupt 
state,  no  assumed  divine  right  of  kings,  or  sacerdotal  magic, 
but  on  the  inherent  right  of  manhood,  guided  by  the  Spirit 
of  God,  and  animated  by  righteous  aims. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  and  significant  facts  in  the 
life  of  the  Pilgrim  community  that  later  settled  in  Plym- 
outh is  the  calm  and  undisputed  assurance  which  they 
had  of  their  right,  as  the  people  of  God,  to  organize  a 
church  with  full  authority  to  do  all  that  any  church  could 
do,  and  later  to  establish  a  state  with  trial  by  jury,  and 
the  right  to  enact  and  execute  just  laws — not  even  except- 
ing the  right  to  inflict  capital  punishment — to  declare  war, 
and  to  enter  into  treaties.  The  account  of  both  these 
organizations  is  contained  in  the  Bradford  manuscript,  the 
first  apparently  in  the  year  1606,  and  the  other  under  date 
of  November  11,  Old  Style,  1620.  The  earlier  of  these  two 
immortal  records  reads: 

The  Pilgrim  Church.  So  many  therefore  of  these  proffessors  as 
saw  ye  evill  of  these  things,  in  these  parts,  and  whose  harts  ye 
Lord  had  touched  with  heavenly  zeal  for  his  trueth,  they  shooke 
of  this  yoake  of  antichristian  bondage,  and  as  ye  Lord's  free  peo- 
ple, joyned  them  selves  (by  a  covenant  of  the  Lord)  into  a  church 
estate,  in  ye  fellowship  of  ye  gospell,  to  walke  in  all  his  wayes, 
made  known  or  to  be  made  known  to  them,  according  to  their  best 
endeavours,  whatever  it  should  cost  them,  the  Lord  assisting 
them.  And  that  it  cost  them  something  this  cnsewing  historie  will 
declare. 


22  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

In  the  organization  of  this  and  similar  churches,  they 
asked  no  authority  from  any  king,  pope  or  bishop.  As  "the 
Lord's  free  people"  they  created  a  church,  and  obtained 
their  authority  direct  from  God. 

It  is  no  accident  that  records  the  church  organization 
first  and  the  organization  of  the  civil  body  later.  The  com- 
mon phrase  which  speaks  of  "civil  and  religious  liberty" 
inverts  the  historic  order.  Religious  liberty  came  first,  and 
civil  liberty  grew  out  of  it. 

In  quite  as  dignified  a  manner,  and  one  as  free  from 
any  question  of  their  inherent  right  as  that  which  charac- 
terized their  church  organization,  they  organized  their 
state,  not  as  a  poor  substitute  for  royal  authority,  but  as 
something  "as  firme  as  any  patent"  from  the  Crown,  "and 
in  some  respects  more  sure." 

The  Pilgrim  State.  I  shall  a  little  returne  backe  and  begine  with 
a  combination  made  by  them  before  they  came  ashore,  being  ye 
first  foundation  of  their  governmente  in  this  place;  occasioned 
partly  by  ye  discontented  and  mutinous  speeches  that  some  of  the 
strangers  amongst  them  had  let  fall  from  them  in  ye  ship — That 
when  they  came  ashore  they  would  use  their  own  libertie;  for  none 
had  power  to  command  them,  the  patente  they  had  being  for  Vir- 
ginia, and  not  for  New-england,  which  belonged  to  an  other  Gov- 
ernment, with  which  ye  Virginia  Company  had  nothing  to  doe. 
And  partly  that  shuch  an  acte  by  them  done  (this  their  condition 
considered)  might  be  as  firme  as  any  patent,  and  in  some  respects 
more  sure. 

The  forme  was  as  followeth: 

In  ye  name  of  God,  Amen.  We  whose  names  are  underwrit- 
ten, the  loyall  subjects  of  our  dread  soveraigne  Lord,  King  James, 
by  ye  grace  of  God,  of  Great  Britaine,  Franc,  &  Ireland  king,  de- 
fender of  ye  faith,  &  c,  haveing  undertaken,  for  ye  glorie  of  God, 
and  advancemente  of  ye  Christian  faith,  and  honour  of  our  king 
&  countrie,  a  voyage  to  plant  ye  first  colonic  in  ye  Northerne  parts 
of  Virginia,  doe  by  these  presen-ts  solemnly  &  mutualy  in  ye  pres- 
ence of  God,  and  one  of  another,  covenant  &  combine  our  selves 
together  into  a  civill  body  politick,  for  our  better  ordering  &  pres- 
ervation &  furtherance  of  ye  ends  aforesaid;  and  by  vertue 
hearof  to  enacte,  constitute,  and  frame  such  just  &  equall  lawes, 
ordinances,  acts,  constitutions,  &  offices,  from  time  to  time,  as  shall 
be  thought  most  meete  &  convenient  for  ye  generall  good  of  ye 
Colonie  unto  which  we  promise  all  due  submission  and  obedience. 
In  witness  whereof  we  have  hereunder  subscribed  our  names  at 
Cape-Codd  ye  11.  of  November,  in  ye  year  of  ye  raigne  of  our 
soveraigne  lord,   King  James,   of   England,   Franc,   &   Ireland  ye 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE  23 

eighteenth,  and  of  Scotland  ye  fiftie  fourth.     Ano:    Dom.  1620. — 
Bradford's  Journal.  * 

All  the  Men  Signed  the  Compact.  The  compact  did  not  estab- 
lish representative  government.  That  was  to  come  later,  and  M^as 
something  familiar  to  all  Englishmen.  It  M^as  not  the  beginning 
of  representative  government  on  this  continent;  that  had  taken 
place  the  year  before,  M^hen  the  Virginia  burgesses  were  summoned 
by  the  Governor  in  accordance  w^ith  the  terms  of  a  charter  pre- 
pared in  England.  The  men  in  the  Mayflower  were  called  to  their 
task  by  no  governor,  and  their  compact  was  not  drawn  in  Eng- 
land, but  here.  It  was  the  voluntary  and  original  act  of  those  who 
signed  it,  and  it  embodied  two  great  principles  or  ideas.  The  first 
was  that  the  people  themselves  joined  in  making  the  compact  each 
with  the  other.  The  second  principle  was  that  this  agreement  thus 
made  was  the  organic  law  or  constitution,  to  be  changed  only  in 
great  stress  and  after  submission  to  the  entire  body  politic  and 
with  the  utmost  precaution.  The  force  and  worth  of  this  great 
conception  have  been  attested  since  by  almost  countless  constitu- 
tions of  governments,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  Under  that 
theory  of  government  we  have  preserved  the  sober  liberty,  freedom 
and  ordered  liberty  which  have  been  the  glory  of  the  Republic. 
The  little  company  of  the  Mayflower,  pathetic  in  their  weakness 
and  suffering,  imposing  and  triumphant  in  what  they  did,  has  be- 
longed to  the  ages  these  many  years.  The  work  they  wrought  has 
endured,  and  we  would  not  barter  their  inheritance  for  the  heritage 
of  kings.  But  that  which  was  greatest  in  their  work  was  the  con- 
ception of  the  organic  law  embodied  in  the  compact,  a  conception 
full  of  wisdom  and  patience,  prefiguring  a  commonwealth  in  which 
order  and  progress  were  to  go  hand  in  hand. — Henry  Cabot  Lodge: 
Address  at  Dedication  of  Pilgrim  Monument,  Princeton,  1910. 

Free  Civil  Government  the  Logical  Result  of  Free  Church  Gov- 
ernment. Although  the  signing  of  that  compact  was  a  sudden  act, 
caused  by  the  refusal  of  the  captain  of  the  Mayflower  on  the  day 
before  to  take  his  vessel  through  the  dangerous  shoals  which  lie 
off  the  southeastern  coast  of  Massachusetts  and  so  bring  it  to  the 
Hudson  River,  where  the  English  charter  obtained  by  the  Pilgrims 
before  leaving  Leyden  authorized  them  to  establish  their  colony,  it 
was  an  act  which  the  whole  experience  of  their  church  in  England 
and  in  Holland  and  the  essence  of  the  doctrines  taught  by  their 
pastor  and  elders  naturally  though  unexpectedly  led  up  to.  They 
had  been  trained  to  disregard  all  authority  which  they  had  not 
themselves  instituted  or  accepted,  and  they  had  also  become  ac- 
customed to  co-operative  action  for  the  common  good.  Indeed,  the 
whole  doctrine  and  the  method  of  co-operative  good-will  cannot  be 
better  stated  today  than  it  was  stated  by  Robinson  and  Bradford 
in  1618  in  one  of  their  five  reasons  for  the  proposed  emigration 
from  Holland  to  America:  "We  are  knit  together  in  a  body  in  a 
most  strict  and  sacred  bond  and  covenant  of  the  Lord,  of  the  vio- 
lation hereof  we  make  great  conscience,  and  by  virtue  whereof  we 
do  hold  ourselves  straightly  tied  to  care  of  each  other's  good  and 
of  the  whole  by  every  one,  and  so  mutually."  Everything  that  is 
good  in  modern  socialism  is  contained  in  that  single  sentence,  with 
nothing  of  the  bad  or  foolish. — President  C.  W.  Eliot:  Address  at 
Dedication  Pilgrim  Monument  at  Princeton,  1910. 


24  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

The  Pilgrim  Government.  ^  There  was  a  state  without  king  or 
nobles;  tlfere  was  a  church  without  a  bishop. — Rufus  Choate:  Life 
and  Writings,  i:379. 

Fidelity  to  Pilgrim  Principles.  Our  Fathers  fled  into  this  Wil- 
derness from  the  face  of  a  Lording  Episcopacy  and  Human  Injunc- 
tions in  the  worship  of  God.  Now,  if  any  of  us  their  Children 
should  yield  unto,  or  be  Instrumental  to  set  up  in  this  Country,  any 
of  the  Ways  of  Men's  Invention,  such  as  Prelacy,  imposed  Litur- 
gies, Human  Ceremonies  in  the  Worship  of  God,  or  to  admit  Igno- 
rant and  Scandalous  Persons  to  the  Lord's  Table;  This  would  be  a 
backsliding  indeed!  It  would  be  a  Backsliding  to  the  Things  which 
we  and  our  Fathers  have  departed  from,  and  have  openly  testified 
against,  to  be  not  of  God. — John  Higginson:    Sermon,  27  May,  1663. 

What  Does  Congregationalism  Stand  for?  Congrega- 
tionalism stands  for  a  representative  democracy.  It  be- 
lieves in  liberty,  v;rith  all  its  attendant  risks,  as  safer  than 
'sacerdotal  rule.  It  holds  that,  great  as  are  the  perils  of 
Treedom,  in  the  long  run  it  is  safer  to  trust  the  people  than 
the  priests  or  the  politicians.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  it 
stands  for  such  united  effort  of  affiliated  churches  as  may 
best  promote  the  preservation  of  the  ministry  from  dete- 
rioration, the  protection  of  the  churches  from  disorder  and 
scandal,  and  the  co-operation  of  the  churches  for  mission- 
ary and  philanthropic  effort. 

Consistently  with  these  ideals  it  has  been  a  foremost 
denomination  in  the  planting  of  educational  institutions. 
When  Boston  was  only  six  years  old,  Harvard  College  was 
founded  with  the  intent  now  inscribed  on  the  university 
gates,  to  provide  an  educated  ministry.  And  a  constella- 
tion of  colleges  shining  out  all  over  the  continent  owe  their 
origin  directly  or  indirectly  to  the  influence  of  these  ideals. 
Congregationalism  stands  also  for  a  thoughtful  and  intelli- 
gent laity,  and  for  the  elevation  of  the  body  of  the  people 
in  character  and  power.  It  holds  that  democracy  is  safe 
only  in  so  far  as  righteousness  characterizes  the  body  of 
the  people,  and  could  wish  with  Moses  that  all  the  people 
of  the  Lord  were  prophets. 

It  stands  also  for  a  hopeful  and  aggressive  type  of  mis- 
sionary effort.  The  oldest  foreign  missionary  society  in 
America — the  American  Board — has  celebrated  its  centen- 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL    PRINCIPLE  25 

nial  with  manifest  tokens  of  divine  favor,  and  of  growing 
power  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

Congregationalism  has  always  stood  for  good  citizen- 
ship. It  influenced  profoundly  the  shaping  of  the  ideals 
of  the  American  nation,  and  bequeathed  to  the  state  the 
freedom  which  it  had  established  in  the  church.  It  still 
stands  for  no  alliance  between  church  and  state,  but  for 
the  governing  of  the  state  by  an  intelligent  democracy,  a 
government  of  the  people,  by  the  people  and  for  the  good 
of  the  people. 

Democratic  Responsibility.  Developed  American  democracy 
rests  on  two  truths — one  theoretical,  the  other  practical — first,  that 
the  rights  and  powers  of  government  reside  in  the  individual  citi- 
zens; second,  that  society  will  be  better  governed  by  allowing  indi- 
viduals as  far  as  possible  to  govern  themselves.  The  active  partici- 
pation of  all  citizens  in  the  affairs  of  the  government  generates 
knowledge,  capacity  and  public  spirit.  Our  government  is,  as  far 
as  possible,  distributed,  rather  than  centralized  as  in  France,  be- 
cause we  thus  bring  out  the  individual  by  putting  on  him  a  certain 
responsibility  for  the  government. — Heermance:  Democracy  in  the 
Church,  p.  93. 

Was  Congregationalism  Originally  Democratic?  Con- 
gregationalism is  an  evolution.  Its  original  leaders  did  not 
believe  in  democracy,  but  the  root  of  the  matter  was  in 
them,  and  the  principles  which  they  adopted  and  for  which 
they  suffered  made  ultimate  democracy  inevitable.  When 
democracy  came,  it  came  through  Congregationalism. 

The  First  American  Democrat.  John  Wise,  in  his  "Vindication 
of  the  New  England  Churches,"  published  in  1717,  takes  a  great 
stride  (seventy  years)  in  advance  of  the  times,  and  boldly  advo- 
cates the  legitimacy  of  democracy  and  republics,  both  in  civil  and 
ecclesiastical  government.  He  shows  that  it  is  agreeable  to  the 
law  of  nature,  and  that  nothing  but  ill-nature  is  ever  necessary  to 
transform  a  monarch  into  a  tyrant.  He  shows,  both  by  theory  and 
examples,  how  it  may  be  made  both  a  just  and  efficient  government, 
and  how  the  cause  of  true  piety  has  always  flourished  most  where 
this  divinely  constituted  ecclesiastical  government  has  been  main- 
tained, besides  instancing  many  cases  where  God  has  blessed  it  in 
a  civil  government. — Cummings:   Diet.   Democracy. 

John  Robinson's  Democracy.  It  should  seem,  then,  that  it  ap- 
pertains to  the  people,  .  .  .  unto  the  people  primarily,  under  Christ, 
to  rule  and  govern  the  church. — John  Robinson:    Works,  iii,  34. 

The  People  Rule.  The  whole  power  of  government,  and  all  acts 
thereto  pertaining,  are,  by  divine  ordinance,  in  faro  externa,  to  be 


26  THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

determined  by  the  most  voices  in  and  of  every  particular  congrega- 
tion.— Letter  of  Puritan  Minister  of  England  to  Gen.  Assembly  of 
Scotland,  1641. 

The  Primitive  Church  Democratic.  The  popular  government  of 
the  primitive  church  pervaded  their  ecclesiastical  polity  through- 
out.— Coleman:  Church  Without  a  Bishop,  p.  108. 

Did   Congregationalists   Believe   in   Religious   Liberty? 

The  first  Congregationalists  did  not  fully  understand  the 
principles  of  religious  liberty.  They  made  many  and  sad 
mistakes  before  they  came  fully  to  the  discovery  of  what 
was  logically  involved  in  their  own  principles;  but  religious 
liberty  became  inevitable  under  the  Congregational  sys- 
tem, and  the  Congregationalists  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  in 
which  they  were  born  and  which  their  fathers  obtained  at 
a  great  price. 

Congregational  Democracy.  The  nearest  approach  to  democ- 
racy was  found  northeast  of  the  Hudson  River,  in  the  colonies  of 
New  Hampshire,  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island  and  Connecticut. 
.  .  .  The  original  emigrants  to  Massachusetts  were  Congregation- 
alists. They  looked  upon  members  of  any  other  sect  as  men  of 
doubtful  character,  not  to  be  trusted  with  the  administration  of  a 
growing  commonwealth.  Woe  to  the  Episcopalian  who  held  that 
his  Lares  and  Penates  were  as  good  politically  as  those  of  his  Con- 
gregational brother!  During  the  earlier  years  of  the  history  of 
Massachusetts  the  charter  required  that  the  freemen  should  be 
godly;  and  the  Puritan  founders  of  the  colony  doubted  very  gravely 
whether  the  Thirty-nine  Articles  were  a  sufficiently  acceptable  road 
to  godliness  to  make  it  wise  to  trust  the  Episcopalian  with  the 
franchise.  Even  when  the  franchise  itself  had  been  more  liberally 
bestowed  and  political  power  had  thus  become  diffused  through  the 
whole  body  of  freeholders,  the  spirit  of  social  exclusiveness  re- 
mained almost  unchanged.  For  a  great  deal  of  the  work  of  New 
England  society  centered  around  the  church  rather  than  the  state; 
and  the  church  was  controlled  by  the  descendants  of  the  original 
settlers. — Prof.  Arthur  T.  Hadley:  Undercurrents  in  American  Poli- 
tics, pp.  4-5. 

Congregationalism  and  Religious  Freedom.  It  is  the  glory  of 
Congregationalism  to  have  taken  up  the  struggle  for  religious  free- 
dom when  Anabaptism  failed.  To  it  does  not  belong  the  glory  of 
conceiving  a  free  church,  untrammeled  by  all  connection  with  the 
state.  To  that  idea  the  Baptists  have  always  been  truer  than  we. 
But  what  the  Anabaptists  failed  to  do  in  Europe,  Congregation- 
alists accomplished  in  America.  They  were  the  chief  influence  in 
bringing  about  a  civilization  which  is  really  chiseled  on  the  lines  of 
freedom,  and  in  which  religion  has,  as  nowhere  else,  its  proper  and 
efficient  place. 

This  great  service  to  religion  and  mankind  Congregationalists 
performed  to  their  own  despite.    There  was  that  in  their  principles 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE  27 

which  forced  them  to  a  free  church,  in  which  at  the  outset  they  did 
not  believe.  The  Congregationalists  were  at  one  with  their  coun- 
trymen in  upholding  the  idea  of  a  state  church;  they  only  insisted 
that  the  state  authorities  execute  the  mandates  of  the  Scripture  on 
church  polity,  which  were  as  clear  to  them  as  they  have  at  last  be- 
come to  the  vast  majority  of  modern  scholars. 

Yet  notwithstanding  this  colossal  mistake  of  tying  church  and 
state  together,  Congregationalism  succeeded  eventually  in  estab- 
lishing a  free  church  in  America  which  is  more  influential  and  more 
thoroughgoing  in  its  freedom  than  that  of  the  other  free  churches 
of  the  world.  And  it  did  more  than  that.  For  not  only  are  church 
and  state  separated  in  America  as  in  no  other  Christian  nation, 
save  perhaps  most  recently  in  France,  but  no  matter  how  strict  the 
connectionalism  of  some  of  the  denominations  may  be,  the  indi- 
vidual church  is  regarded  in  this  country  as  the  real  seat  of  power. 
— Vernon:  Southworth  Lectures,  1914. 

Did  Congregationalists  Separate  Church  and  State  ?  The 
first  Congregationalists  did  not  adopt  in  full  the  principle 
of  a  separation  between  church  and  state.  The  govern- 
ment of  the  New  England  colonies  under  Congregational 
rule  was  a  theocracy,  but  the  complete  separation  came  in- 
evitably, and  to  that  separation  as  well  as  to  the  Christian- 
izing of  the  spirit  of  the  state,  Congregationalism  has  made 
its  very  important  contribution. 

Equality  in  Church  and  State.  We  might  say  that  two  legal 
fictions  were  latent  in  this  action  of  the  Pilgrims.  First,  that  all 
men  are  created  equal,  with  equal  rights  and  powers.  The  doctrine 
of  the  common  priesthood  of  beHevers  had  found  its  legal  expres- 
sion in  their  democratic  church.  They  were  now  broadening  this 
doctrine  and  applying  it  in  the  political  sphere.  As  men  were  equal 
before  God,  they  were  equal  before  the  law,  and  competent  to 
frame  and  administer  civil  institutions,  "without  tarrying  for  any." 
Unconsciously,  and  with  many  practical  reservations  as  the  years 
went  on,  the  New  England  colonists  built  upon  this  principle  of 
inherent  political  equality.  As  has  been  said  of  the  later  explicit 
declaration  of  it,  in  1776,  though  false  in  an  absolute  sense,  it  was 
true  in  this  sense,  that  our  political  institutions  are  unworkable  on 
any  other  theory. — Heermance:  Democracy  in  the  Church,  p.  87. 

A  Prophetic  Declaration  in  1582.  Yet  may  they  (the  magis- 
tates)  doo  nothing  concerning  the  church,  but  onlie  ciuilie,  and  as 
ciuile  magistrates  they  have  not  that  aucthoritie  over  the  Church 
as  to  be  Prophets  or  Priestes  or  Spirituall  Kings,  as  they  are 
Magistrates  over  the  same,  but  onlie  to  rule  the  Common-wealth 
in  all  outward  justice,  to  maintain  the  right  welfare  and  honour 
thereof,  with  outward  power,  bodily  punishment,  and  ciuil  forcing 
of  men.  And  therefore  also  because  the  Church  is  a  Common- 
wealth, it  is  of  their  charge;  that  is,  concerning  the  outward  proui- 
sion  and  outward  iustice,  they  are  to  look  to  it;  but  to  compel 
religion,  to  plant  churches  by  power,  or  to  force  a  submission  by 


28  THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

laws  and  penalties,  belongeth  not  to  them,  neither  yet  to  the 
Church.  Let  vs  not  therefore  tarie  for  the  Magistrates.  If  they 
be  not  Christians,  should  the  welfare  of  the  Church  or  the  salua- 
tion  of  men  hang  on  their  courtesie? — Robert  Browne:  Reformation 
Without  Tarying  for  Anie. 

What  Is  the  Doctrinal  Emphasis  of  Congregationalism? 

Doctrinally,  Congregationalism  stands  for  orthodoxy  with 
liberty.  It  holds  to  no  one  man-made  creed  as  of  perpetual 
authority.  It  rejoices  in  the  right  of  the  churches  from 
time  to  time  to  compare  their  faith  with  the  essential  faith 
of  the  past,  and  has  repeatedly  declared  itself  in  essential 
accord  with  the  historic  symbols  of  Christendom.  But  it 
holds  to  the  right^of  men  to.  be  wiser  tomorrow  than  they 
are  today,  and  to  revise  all  creeds,  and  to  use  them  as  a 
testimony  rather  than  as  a  test;  believing  in  the  immortal 
words  of  the  Pilgrim  pastor,  John  Robinson,  that  God  has 
much  more  light  to  break  from  His  Word.  Hence  Congre- 
gationalists  hold  reverently  to  the  final  authority  of  the 
Word  of  God  in  all  matters  of  faith  and  conduct ;  and  they 
hold  co-ordinate  with  this  faith  a  belief  in  the  right  of  the 
Church  from  time  to  time  to  place  itself  on  record  in  the 
language  of  its  own  time  and  on  doctrines  of  current  inter- 
est. Deep-rooted  in  the  faith  of  the  past,  and  seeking  to 
grow  upward  and  outward  toward  God  and  the  need  of  the 
world,  the  Congregationalists  of  today  face  the  future  with 
that  faith  in  the  Spirit  of  God  in  their  own  efforts,  and  in 
the  better  life  of  tomorrow,  which  the  Pilgrims  expressed 
as  their  final  and  best  reason  for  coming  to  America,  that 
they  might  do  something  to  advance  the  Gospel  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Christ  in  the  world. 

The  Older  Confessions.  With  regard  to  the  Westminslsr  and 
Sayoy  Confessions,  which  were  formally  adopted  by  the  early  New 
England  churches,  and  which  are  still  esteemed  by  us  as  systems  of 
truth,  they  have  never  had  the  authority  of  standards  with  us,  as 
some  have  supposed.  They  originated  in  England.  They  were 
consented  to  "for  substance  of  doctrine"  by  the  New  England 
churches,  for  the  sake  of  declaring  their  doctrinal  agreement  with 
Christians  on  the  other  side  of  the  water,  from  which  some  had 
accused  them  of  departing. — Mitchell:  Guide,  pp.  55-56. 

Is  Congregationalism  an  Arbitrary  System?    Congrega- 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE  29 

tionalism  is  sanctioned  common  sense.  Within  its  admin- 
istration, the  thing  that  ought  to  be  done  can  be  done. 
There  is  a  decent  and  orderly  way  of  finding  what  the  local 
church  wants  to  do  within  the  local  church ;  and  a  way 
equally  decent  and  orderly  in  which  churches,  through 
District  Association,  State  Conference,  and  National  Coun- 
cil, can  accomplish  their  reasonable  purposes.  It  is,  and 
always  has  been,  a  fundamental  principle  of  Congregation- 
alism, that  methods  employed,  and  ends  sought  to  be  at- 1 
tained,  must  be  reasonable  and  sensible.^  Rules  are  made] 
for  the  church ;  not  the  church  for  the  rules.       _ 

Church  Action  and  Common  Sense.  In  respect  of  their  end, 
they  must  be  done  unto  edification.  In  respect  of  the  rnanner,  de- 
cently and  in  order,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  things  them- 
selves, and  civil  and  church  custom.  Doth  not  even  nature  itself 
teach  you?  Yea,  they  are  in  some  sort  determined  particularly, 
namely,  that  they  be  done  in  such  a  manner  as,  all  circumstances 
considered,  is  most  expedient  for  edification. — Cambridge  Platform, 
1,  4. 

The  Power  of  Reasonableness.  It  hath  so  much  force  as  there 
is  force  in  the  reason  of  it. — Richard  Mather. 

Is  Congregational  Liberty  Safe?  Liberty  always  involves 
peril.  The  freedom  of  the  human  will  is  a  perilous  thing 
in  the  government  of  God.  It  has  involved  the  world  in  a 
close  approach  to  ruin,  but  God  has  deemed  liberty  with 
all  its  attending  risks  better  than  a  divine  tyranny,  and 
what  is  better  is  in  the  long  run  safer.  Democracy  in  the 
church  is  quite  as  safe  as  democracy  in  the  state.  It  has 
its  perils  in  both  places,  but  so  also  has  tyranny.  Congre- 
gationalists  recognize  fully  the  dangers  of  liberty,  and  in 
nowise  confounding  it  with  license,  stand  fast  in  the  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  hath  made  them  free. 

Freedom  Always  Dangerous.  Freedom  has  always  been  re- 
garded as  a  dangerous  word  by  those  in  authority.  It  is  not,  there- 
fore, to  be  wondered  at  that  these  obscure  men  who  contended  for 
it  so  unequivocally  as  a  right  and  not  merely  as  a  convenience 
should  have  been  persecuted  by  the  state. — Vernon:  Southworth 
Lectures,  1914. 

The  Freedom  of  the  Planets,  and  the  Laws  They  Obey.     Men 

who  are  in  haste  to  see  the  end  of  things,  and  impatient  with  the 
slow  processes  of  merely  moral  development,   especially   if   their 


30  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

taste  lie  in  the  direction  of  a  "strong"  government,  are  often  pro- 
voked by  those  concessions  which  have  just  been  made  that  the 
past,  or  even  the  present,  cannot  bind  the  future,  to  stigmatize  our 
system  as  loose,  precarious,  and  perilous.  Whether  it  be  such,  de- 
pends upon  the  viev\^  M^hich  one  takes  of  it.  I  know  of  nothing  in 
the  visible  universe,  to  an  uninstructed  eye,  much  more  "loose, 
precarious  and  perilous,"  than  the  solar  system  of  which  this  earth 
forms  a  humble  part.  Here  is  the  vast  circle  of  her  orbit  sweeping 
five  hundred  and  fifty  millions  of  miles,  or  so,  around  through 
space — a  race-course  without  any  solid  gravel  under  foot,  or  fence 
on  either  side.  What  is  to  hinder  our  planet  from  plunging  wildly 
through  the  heavens,  colliding  with  her  sister  planets,  and  wrecking 
herself  against  the  sun  on  the  one  hand,  or  irrecoverably  hurling 
herself  oflf  tangential  into  unimaginable  chill  and  dark  abysm  of 
nowhere,  on  the  other?  Nothing  which  one  can  see.  There  is  no 
"strong"  government  bristling  with  penalties;  no  steel  cable  to 
hold  it  to  its  central  duty;  no  groove  nor  flange  to  guide  it;  noth- 
ing, absolutely  nothing,  but  the  subtle,  invisible,  impalpable  force 
of  God's  will  upon  it,  and  God's  way  in  it. — Dexter:  Congregation- 
alism as  Seen  in  Its  Literature,  p.  705. 

Is  Congregationalism  a  Perfect  System?  It  is  not.  No 
human  system  is  perfect,  nor  does  any  system  eliminate 
human  elements  of  imperfection  by  calling  itself  divine. 
One  serious  error  in  Congregational  polity,  as  of  other 
church  polities,  has  been  the  assumption  that  if  we  could 
discover  precisely  how  the  apostles  governed  churches  in 
the  apostolic  age,  we  should  be  perfectly  sure  how  we 
ought  to  govern  churches  in  a  very  different  age.  The 
apostles  showed  great  resourcefulness  in  adapting  their 
organization  to  the  needs  of  their  time,  and  it  is  quite 
conceivable  that  they  would  do  some  things  differently  if 
they  were  living  now. 

Efficiency.  The  antithesis  between  democracy  and  efficiency  is 
far  more  acute  and  difficult  in  the  church  than  in  civic  society. 
More  than  any  other  institution  on  earth,  the  church  is  under  obli- 
gation to  respect,  defend  and  vindicate  democracy.  For  not  to 
priests  and  prelates  or  the  high  ones  of  earth  is  the  message  of 
God  sent  forth,  but  in  the  hearts  of  the  humble  and  the  contrite  is 
the  temple,  and  with  them  the  communion,  of  the  Almighty 
Father.  Woe  must  soon  betide  any  church  so  impious  as  to  refuse 
to  hear  the  people. — Nolan  R.  Best:  An  Efficient  Democratic  Church, 
in  The  Continent,  May  21,  1914. 

A  Growing  Adjustment.  Much  indefiniteness  and  defectiveness 
have  all  along  prevailed  with  regard  to  Independent  polity.  And 
the  final  reason  for  that  is  that  the  Christocratic  principle,  which  is 
the  basis  of  Congregationalism,  has  not  yet  found  appropriate  insti- 
tutional expression.    Nonconformity's  ideal  was  high— a  polity  and 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   PRINCIPLE  31 

institution  which  were  the  Spirit's  express  creation  through  Christ- 
dependent  men.  But  the  ideal  miscarried  in  process  of  articulation, 
and  Independency,  instead  of  following  its  creative  impulse,  turned 
aside  from  its  own  cardinal  principle  and  became  imitative  of  what 
it  beheved  to  be  the  New  Testament  model  of  a  church.  The  result 
is,  as  our  most  recent  historian  affirms,  that  the  world  has  still  to 
wait  for  an  adequate  constructive  expression  of  the  Nonconformist 
spirit.  (Clark's  History  of  Nonconformity,  i:203.)  That  conclu- 
sion is  significant,  particularly  as  it  emerges  as  the  dominant  les- 
son of  a  detailed  study  of  our  history.  And  yet  it  is  not  an  aston- 
ishing conclusion,  for  the  historical  complications  in  which  the 
ideal  was  enmeshed  were  bound  to  affect  its  expression.  And  they 
certainly  obscured  the  vision  of  those  who  should  have  been  the 
guardians  of  that  ideal.  But  the  true  significance  of  that  conclu- 
sion is  this:  It  requires  that  a  new  constructive  effort  be  made  to 
articulate  the  Congregational  ideal.  And  since  the  environment 
has  changed,  and  the  world-issues  are  so  vitally  and  vastly  differ- 
ent, it  is  natural  to  infer  that  its  institutional  form  will  be  corre- 
spondingly different. — Meredith  Davis:  Congregationalism  and  Its 
Ideal;  Constructive  Quarterly,  September,  1915,  p.  549. 

No  System  Is  Perfect.  The  Congregational  pastor  must  learn — 
and  he  surely  will  have  speedy  opportunity  to  learn — that  nothing 
works  thoroughly  well  in  this  sad  world  of  ours.  But  if  Congre- 
gationalism, as  a  matter  of  principles  variously  applied  to  human 
living  in  family,  church,  and  state,  is  to  be  tested  by  its  real  suc- 
cess, it  will  bear  the  test  better  than  any  other  church  order  since 
the  days  of  the  Apostolic  Church.  For  there  has  been  for  two 
hundred  and  fifty  years  vastly  more  Congregationalizing,  in  prin- 
ciple, of  other  churches,  than  there  has  been  Presbyterianizing,  or 
Methodizing,  or  Episcopizing  of  Congregational  churches.  Con- 
gregationalism did  not  work  thoroughly  well  in  the  case  of  the 
apostolic  churches.  Christianity  did  not  work  thoroughly  well  in 
the  case  of  the  ancient  world.  No  form  of  church  order  has 
worked  in  the  past,  or  does  in  present  work,  thoroughly  well.  But 
Congregationalism  is,  nevertheless,  as  a  matter  of  principle,  the 
New  Testament  way  of  constituting  and  managing  Christian 
churches. — Ladd:  Principles  of  Church  Polity,  96-97. 

Is  Congregationalism  Effective?  The  relatively  slow 
growth  of  Congregationalism  has  often  been  pointed  to  as 
a  proof  that  Congregationalism  is  not  effective  as  a  form 
of  church  organization,  but  the  growth  of  the  Congrega- 
tional principle  has  by  no  means  been  confined  to  the  Con- 
gregational denomination.  It  has  made  many  and  lamen- 
table mistakes,  but  it  has  manifested  a  power  of  adaptation 
entirely  consistent  with  loyalty  to  its  basic  principle  and 
is  attacking  its  problems  of  administration  and  expansion 
with  a  vigor  which  give  it  large  promise  for  the  years  to 
come. 


32  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Governor  Hutchinson's  Testimony.  But,  however  this  constitu- 
tion may  appear  in  theory,  we  shall  seldom  meet  with  an  instance 
in  which  there  has  been  so  steady  and  so  general  an  adherence  to 
the  principles  on  which  it  was  founded,  and  so  much  harmony  sub- 
sisting, not  only  in  particular  churches,  but  also  between  one 
church  and  another,  for  fifty  years  together.— Hutchinson:  Hist,  of 
Massachusetts,  1795;  Vol.  I,  p.  374. 

Seedtime  and  Harvest.  Religion  is  not  always  sown  and  reaped 
in  one  age.  One  soweth,  and  another  reapeth.  The  many  that  are 
already  gathered,  by  the  mercy  of  God,  into  the  kingdom  of  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ,  and  the  nearness  of  many  more  through  the  whole 
land — for  the  regions  are  white  unto  the  harvest — do  promise,  in 
less  than  a  hundred  years,  if  our  sins  and  theirs  make  not  us  and 
them  unworthy  of  this  mercy,  a  very  plentiful  harvest. — John  Robin- 
son: Justification  of  Separation,  Works,  ii,  65. 

Nothing  Else  Could  Have  Done  What  Congregationalism  Has 
Accomplished.  Few  persons,  if  any,  can  hesitate  to  agree  that  no 
other  system  of  church  government  than  Congregationalism  could 
have  been  successful  in  New  England  at  that  day.  No  other  sys- 
tem could  have  done  so  much  for  liberty,  civil  and  religious.  Inde- 
pendent churches  formed  the  earliest  and  most  enduring  barriers 
and  bulwarks  at  once  against  hierarchies  and  monarchies. — Robert  C. 
Winthrop:  Oration  at  Plymouth,  December  21,  1870. 

Democracy  and  Efficiency.  It's  no  shame  to  democracy  that  it 
conflicts  with  efficiency.  Nothing  on  this  earth  can  have  all  the 
advantages.  Democracy  has  a  rich  abundance  of  values  and  vir- 
tues. Efficiency  is  simply  one  lack.  Efficiency's  watchword  is, 
"Get  the  thing  done!"  But  democracy  gets  the  thing  done  only 
slowly  and  haltingly.  Before  a  mass  of  people  can  decide  to  act 
together,  there  must  first  of  all  be  a  tedious  discussion  of  it. 
Patient  pressure  is  necessary  to  get  the  masses  to  move,  even  after 
they  are  convinced.  Usually,  also,  there  are  diverging  interests 
that  have  to  be  placated  by  compromise.  So  when  the  thing  is  done, 
it  is  often  done  only  in  a  patchwork  fashion.  When  quick  results 
are  imperative,  the  only  way  for  it  is  to  put  all  the  responsibility 
on  one  man.  Then  there  is  only  one  mind  to  make  up  and  no  com- 
mittee meeting  to  call.  Indeed,  democracy  itself  is  glad  to  step 
aside  in  emergency  and  let  one-man  efficiency  take  right  of  way. 
When  the  town's  afire,  nobody  proposes  a  town  meeting  to  decide 
how  to  stop  the  blaze.  Till  the  last  embers  are  dead,  the  fire  chief 
is  a  despot.  Yet  none  of  this  is  reason  for  discounting  democracy. 
In  the  ordinary,  normal  ways  of  life  there  are  plenty  of  reasons  for 
preferring  it  in  spite  of  delays,  indirections  and  wastes. 

There  is  something  worth  more  in  life  than  efficiency,  and  that 
is  the  wisdom  of  sound  living.  And  the  man  who  knows  how  to  be 
efficient  doesn't  always  know  about  wise  ways  to  live.  To  tell  the 
truth,  democracy  doesn't  either.  But  everything  taken  together, 
there  runs  a  better  average  chance  that  the  democracy  will  know 
what's  good  for  human  life — for  social  human  life,  especially — than 
that  the  typical  individual  citizen  will  know.  The  sole  way  for  a 
democratic  church  to  get  its  tasks  done  efficiently  is  to  look  out 
from  among  its  own  number  men  of  good  report — whose  demo- 
cratic and  Christian  spirit  is  assured  of,  whose  unselfish  loyalty  it 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL    PRINCIPLE  33 

believes  in,  whose  competent  wisdom  it  knows — and  appoint  them 
to  be  its  leaders  in  the  tasks  waiting.  Then  let  it  support  them 
and  follow  them  as  they  lead.  Thus  the  church  which  has  learned 
the  secrets  of  trust,  sympathy,  counsel,  prayer,  and  love  may  have 
efficiency  and  democracy  together. — Nolan  R.  Best:  In  The  Conti- 
nent, May  21,  1914. 

Force  and  Freedom.  It  is  freely  admitted  that  Congregational 
fellowship  makes  for  a  unity  in  purpose  and  service  as  strong  and 
sufficient,  if  not  stronger  really,  than  where  legislation  is  enacted 
by  which  churches  are  frequently  compelled  to  assent  to  what  they 
cannot  easily  accept  or  conscientiously  approve.  Whatever  is  wise, 
true,  just,,  and  honorable,  all  Congregational  churches  cheerfully 
endorse.  Though  we  are  represented  by  many  diflferent  com- 
munions, nevertheless  no  other  body  of  believers  approaches  the 
strength  in  fellowship  illustrated  by  Congregationalism.  Our 
churches  acknowledge  a  Head,  who  is  Jesus  Christ;  they  have  a 
bond  of  faith — the  essential  truths  of  the  Gospels;  they  recognize 
a  law — the  law  of  love;  they  are  one  in  Jesus  Christ. — Asher  Ander- 
son: Congregational  Faith  and  Practice,  p.  7.  '  " 

Its  Faith  and  Works.  It  was  founded  in  protest  against  eccle- 
siastical autocracy.  It  adopted  as  its  central  affirmation  the  equal- 
ity of  men  before  God  and  in  the  world.  It  speedily  emancipated 
itself  from  its  inherited  union  with  the  state.  It  was  early  in  the 
field  as  one  after  another  modern  movements  of  reform  arose. 
Whether  the  battle  was  against  intemperance  or  against  slavery, 
against  intolerance  or  public  dishonor.  Congregational  men  and 
women  were  usually  found  ranged  on  the  right  side.  It  would 
have  been  both  strange  and  shameful  if  such  a  history  had  led  to 
no  conspicuous  results  these  fifty  years  past.  Happily,  no  such 
outcome  has  been  recorded.  The  Pilgrim  faith  has  continued  to 
produce  social  fruits. — Herring:  Congregationalism  in  Recent  His- 
tory, p.  21.  -^ 


III.    THE   LARGER   CONGREGATIONALISM 

In  What  Interdenominational  Bodies  Do  Congregation- 
alists  Share?  Congregationalists  are  represented  in  the 
active  work  of  practically  all  interdenominational  agencies. 
They  had  large  share  in  the  formation  of  the  Evangelical 
Alliance,  and  are  active  participants  in  the  Federal  Council 
of  Churches  of  Christ  in  America.  They  are  active  in  the 
Laymen's  Missionary  Movement  and  other  forms  of  fellow- 
ship and  service.  They  support  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety, the  American  Tract  Society,  and  other  interdenom- 
inational publishing  and  missionary  organizations. 

Federal  Council.  A  chapter  in  the  author's  Congregational 
Manual  is  devoted  to  the  organization  of  the  Federal  Council  and 
gives  a  complete  outline  of  its  principles  and  activities. 

What    Is    the    International    Congregational    Council? 

The  International  Congregational  Council  is  a  body  which 
came  into  existence  in  1891  and  which  was  organized  with 
a  constitution  in  Edinburgh  in  1898.  It  consists  of  400 
members  elected  by  the  National  Councils  of  the  several 
nations  represented.  One  hundred  and  fifty  members  are 
chosen  from  the  United  States,  one  hundred  and  fifty  from 
the  British  Isles,  twenty  from  Canada,  thirty-two  from 
Australasia,  ten  from  South  Africa  and  thirty-eight  from 
the  rest  of  the  world.  All  Congregational  foreign  mission- 
aries are  members  of  the  Council.  At  present  members 
from  the  United  States  are  chosen  by  a  Committee  of  the 
National  Council  with  power  to  fill  vacancies.  This  has 
seemed  necessary  in  view  of  the  infrequent  meetings  of  the 
Council  and  the  long  distance  which  delegates  must  travel 
to  attend  it.  It  is  desirable,  however,  that  some  plan  be 
formulated  whereby  there  may  be  nominations  from  differ- 
ent states,  in  order  to  secure  as  equitable  a  distribution  as 
possible. 

Thus  far   meetings   of  the   International   Council   have 


THE   LARGER   CONGREGATIONALISM  35 

been  held  in  London,  1891 ;  Boston,  1899,  and  Edinburgh, 
1903. 

In  the  ordinary  course  the  next  meeting  of  the  Interna- 
tional Congregational  Council  would  occur  in  1918,  but  it 
is  likely  that  it  will  be  held  in  1920.  The  report  of  the 
Committee  on  International  Council  made  before  the  Na- 
tional Council  at  New  Haven  in  191 5  proposed  that  the 
next  meeting  be  held  in  connection  with  the  celebration  of 
the  three  hundredth  anniversary  of  the  landing  of  the  Pil- 
grims, and  this  was  approved  by  the  National  Council. 
The  Council  will  probably  last  nine  days.  The  first  p?rt 
will  be  devoted  to  historical  topics,  and  the  last  to  a  con- 
sideration of  matters  connected  with  the  progress  of  the 
denomination  and  of  the  work  of  the  Church  universal. 

International    Councils    and   World    Wide    Congregationalism. 

Congregationalism  has  become  conscious  of  its  world-wide  mission 
largely  through  the  international  councils  held  from  time  to  time 
in  different  parts  of  the  world.  This  tendency  toward  connexion- 
alism  does  not  mean  any  abandonment  of  their  original  principles. 
They  still  stand  for  the  position  that  the  members  of  a  Christian 
church  should  be  Christians,  and  that  the  sole  head  of  the  Church 
is  Jesus  Christ.  In  things  theological  they  allow  a  wide  latitude 
of  opinion,  and  their  general  position  is  broadly  evangelical. — 
Selbie:  History  of  Nonconformity,  p.  245. 

How  Large  Is  Congregationalism?  The  Congregational 
churches  in  the  United  States  have  a  total  membership  of 
something  more  than  three-quarters  of  a  million.  Their 
churches  number  more  than  6,000,  and  the  number  of  their 
ministers  is  about  equal  to  that  of  their  churches.  The 
Congregational  churches  of  the  world  aggregate  approxi- 
mately 1,500,000  members,  with  something  like  15,000 
organized  churches.  This  is  not,  however,  the  whole  of 
Congregationalism.  The  Baptist  churches  are  Congrega- 
tional, and  so  are  the  Disciples  of  Christ,  the  Christian  Con- 
nection, the  Universalists,  the  Unitarians,  and  a  number 
of  smaller  denominations.  Taken  together,  the  churches 
that  recognize  the  Congregational  principle  constitute  both 
in  America  and  throughout  the  world  a  very  large  and  in- 
creasing section  of  the  whole  Christian  Church. 


36  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

A  Few  Statistics.  The  denomination  has  6,093  churches,  5,923 
ministers,  763,182  members,  757,873  persons  in  its  Sunday  Schools, 
133,474  in  its  young  people's  societies,  85,811  in  its  men's  organiza- 
tions, church  property  in  the  United  States  valued  at  $84,565,377, 
endowments  held  by  local  churches  to  the  amount  of  $10,204,063, 
these  churches  having  an  annual  income  of  $10,716,311.  The  mis- 
sionary societies  of  the  denomination  hold  endowment  funds  to  the 
amount  of  $9,000,000  with  mission  property  of  about  the  same 
value.  They  have  nearly  4,000  persons  under  their  commission  and 
receive  an  annual  income  of  $2,500,000.  The  publishing  house  has 
a  capital  of  about  $200,000  and  does  an  annual  business  of  over 
half  a  million  dollars.  In  addition,  a  large  and  influential  group  of 
theological  seminaries,  colleges  and  academies  are  closely  identified 
with  the  denominational  life.  It  is  not  possible  to  give  more  than 
an  estimate  of  the  number  of  their  students,  or  the  amount  of  their 
property,  but  the  one  cannot  be  less  than  20,000  nor  the  other  less 
than  $75,000,000.— //M&erf  C.  Herring:  In  pamphlet.  Matters  Congre- 
gational, 1915. 

The  Congregational  Spirit.  We  are  widely  Congregationally 
organized;  the  Baptists,  Disciples,  Congregationalists  and  smaller 
bodies  make  up  a  very  large  per  cent  of  American  Christianity; 
but  we  are  almost  altogether  Congregationally  spirited.— Femon.- 
Southworth  Lectures. 

We  Have  Become  a  Congregational  Nation;  or,  as  we  some- 
times call  it,  a  Republic. — Alexander  McKenzie. 

As  a  Polity,  Congregationalism  is  much  more  widespread  than 
the  Congregational  name.  The  Baptists,  the  Plymouth  Brethren, 
the  Disciples  of  Christ,  the  Unitarians,  of  the  United  States,  as 
well  as  certain  sections  of  the  Adventists  and  of  the  Lutherans, 
are  congregationally  governed. — Williston  Walker:  Art.  "Congrega- 
tionalism," in  Hastings'  Diet,  of  Relig.  and  Ethics. 

What  Is  the  Polity  of  the  Unitarian  Churches?  The 
Unitarian  churches  are  Congregational  in  government.  A 
number  of  older  New  England  churches,  w^hich  were  ortho- 
dox Congregational  churches  until  about  a  century  ago, 
remain  with  the  constitutions  and  covenants  unchanged. 
Whatever  doctrinal  differences  exist  between  them  and  the 
so-called  orthodox  churches,  they  remain,  as  they  always 
have  been,  Congregational  in  government. 

Our  Common  Heritage.  Congregationalism  is  identified  with 
all  the  great  features  of  our  national  life.  It  has  stimulated  inde- 
pendent thought,  actively  promoted  civil  liberty  and  the  practice 
of  self-government.  The  spirit  that  led  to  the  establishment  of 
churches  governed  by  the  congregation  led  to  the  establishment 
of  the  New  England  town  meeting,  and  finally  to  the  democratic 
system  of  national  government  under  which  we  live.  A  democratic 
church  in  a  free  state,  which  tolerates  all  other  forms  of  religious 
faith  and  polity,  relies  for  its  wise  conduct  and  permanent  develop- 
ment upon  the  sound  and  widespread  education  of  the  people,  and 


THE    LARGER    CONGREGATIONALISM  37 

particularly  upon  a  highly  trained  ministry.  By  the  inevitable 
tendencies  of  its  fundamental  principles,  Congregationalism  has 
therefore  contributed  more  than  any  other  polity  to  the  growth 
of  toleration  in  religion  and  to  the  upbuilding  of  popular  education. 
The  great  common  school  system  we  enjoy  is  largely  a  product  of 
the  spirit  of  New  England  Congregationalism;  and  Congregation- 
alists  have  been  foremost  in  America  in  founding  colleges,  univer- 
sities, and  seats  of  learning. 

Congregationalism  gives  free  play  to  the  infinite  diversity  of 
human  faculty  and  aspiration,  and  thus  upbuilds  the  true  unity  of 
the  spirit  in  place  of  sectarian  rivalry  or  barren  uniformity.  The 
purpose  and  result  of  Congregationalism  has  been  summed  up  in 
the  saying  that  it  "helps  to  educate  men  and  women,  for  righteous- 
ness, through  freedom,  to  unity." 

It  is,  then,  a  noble  heritage  of  independence,  made  effective 
for  human  welfare  by  co-operation  and  fellowship,  into  which  the 
churches  of  the  Unitarian  order  are  permitted  to  enter.  By  this 
heritage  Trinitarian  Congregationalists  and  Unitarian  Congrega- 
tionalists  alike  are  enriched. — Unitarian  Handbook,  pp.  11-12. 

What  Is  the  Polity  of  the  Universalist  Churches?    The 

Universalist  churches  are  Congregational  in  polity.  Orig- 
inating as  they  did  in  times  of  controversy  over  the  fate 
of  impenitent  men,  they  maintain  certain  doctrinal  tenets 
which  lie  outside  the  province  of  this  present  volume.  In 
practically  all  their  church  government  they  are  guided  by 
the  same  principles  which  are  recognized  in  other  Congre- 
gational churches. 

During  the  time  that  persons  attending  Universalist 
ministrations  in  New  Hampshire  and  some  portions  of 
Massachusetts  were  taxed  for  the  support  of  the  "standing 
order"  and  appealed  to  the  courts  for  relief,  the  courts  in 
both  these  states  decided  that  Universalists  were  not  a  sect 
distinct  from  Congregationalists. 

A  recent  Universalist  historian  truly  says:  "This  deci- 
sion was  not  made  in  ignorance  of  the  fact  that  Univer- 
salists differed  from  Congregationalists  in  theological  opin- 
ions, but  wholly  on  the  ground — singular  as  it  may  now 
seem — that  Universalists  were  Congregationalists  in  a  sense 
by  being  a  sect  of  independent  parishes." 

A  Court  Decision.  Presbyterians  and  Congregationalists  are 
different  sects  within  the  meaning  of  the  constitution,  because  they 
differ  in  church  government  and  discipline,  though  they  agree  in 
doctrinal    belief.     .     .     .     Generally    speaking,    the    Universalists 


38  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

have  no  distinct  formulary  of  government  and  discipline.  In  large 
towns  they  sometimes  associate  and  worship  together.  But  em- 
bracing this  tenet  makes  in  general  no  more  difference  as  to  the 
form  of  church  government  and  discipline  than  embracing  the 
Calvinist,  Arminian,  Hopkinsian  docs. — Chief  Justice  Smith,  in 
Muzzy  vs.  Wilkins;  Quoted  in  Eddy's  History  of  the  Universalists, 
p.  432. 

What  Is   the   Polity  of  the   Baptist  Churches?    The 

Baptist  churches  are  Congregational  in  government.  Each 
local  church  is  self-governing,  elects  its  own  officers,  and 
formulates  its  own  confession  of  faith.  In  doctrine  as  in 
polity  the  Baptist  churches  are  in  essential  accord  with 
other  Congregational  churches,  their  only  important  differ- 
ence being  their  insistence  upon  adult  baptism  by  immer- 
sion and  the  more  or  less  rigid  insistence  of  some  of  them 
upon  close  communion.  Notwithstanding  these  differences, 
which  many  Baptists  regard  as  important,  they  are  Con- 
gregational, and  every  fundamental  principle  accepted  by 
Congregationalists  in  church  government  is  recognized 
also  by  the  Baptists. 

Baptist  Congregationalism.  The  government  is  administered 
by  the  body  acting  together,  where  no  one  possesses  a  pre- 
eminence, but  all  enjoy  an  equality  of  rights;  and  in  deciding 
matters  of  opinion,  the  majority  bears  rule.  The  pastor  exercises 
only  such  control  over  the  body  as  his  official  and  personal  influ- 
ence may  allow,  as  their  teacher  and  leader  and  the  expounder 
of  the  great  Lawgiver's  enactments.  His  influence  is  paramount, 
but  not  his  authority.  In  the  decision  of  questions  he  has  but  his 
single  vote.  His  rule  is  in  the  moral  force  of  his  counsels,  his 
instruction  and  guidance  in  matters  of  truth  and  duty,  and  also 
in  wisely  directing  the  assemblies,  whether  for  worship  or  business. 
Much  less  have  the  deacons  any  authoritative  or  dictatorial  control 
over  church  affairs.  Matters  of  administration  are  submitted  to 
the  body  and  by  them  decided. — Hiscox:  Baptist  Directory,  pp.  144- 
145. 

What  Is  the  Polity  of  the  Disciples  Churches?     The 

Disciples  of  Christ  are  Congregational  in  government. 
Each  church  elects  its  own  officers  and  adopts  its  own 
rules.  In  general  they  agree  in  requiring  baptism  by  im- 
mersion, though  none  of  them  insist  upon  immersion  as  a 
prerequisite  to  admission  to  the  Lord's  Supper.  Like  other 
Congregational  churches,  the  Disciples  accept  the  Bible  as 


THE   LARGER   CONGREGATIONALISM 39 

their  final   authority,   and   they   are   earnest   advocates  of 
church  union. 

Alexander  Campbell's  Polity.  The  community,  the  church,  the 
multitude  of  the  faithful,  are  the  foundation  of  official  power.  This 
power  descends  from  the  body  itself,  not  from  its  servants.  The 
Body  of  Christ,  under  Him  as  its  head,  is  the  fountain  and  spring 
of  all  official  power  and  privilege.  ...  Its  bishops  teach,  pre- 
side and  execute  the  laws  of  Christ  in  all  its  convocations.  The 
deacons,  a  large  and  diverse  class  of  functionaries  composed  of 
stewards,  almoners,  treasurers,  doorkeepers,  etc.,  wait  continually 
on  its  various  services. — The  Christian  System,  XXV,  xix,  pp.  88-89. 

Disciples  Are  Congregationalists.  The  view  of  baptism  set 
forth  in  these  chapters  relieves  us  of  the  need  of  all  forced  theo- 
logical fictions  and  provides  us  with  a  logical  justification  of  the 
course  which  the  hearts  of  all  the  more  generous-minded  church- 
men among  us  prompt  us  to  pursue.  Without  the  slightest  mental 
reservation  we  are  left  free  to  affirm  that  a  Presbyterian  church 
is  a  church  of  Christ,  just  as  truly  as  a  Disciples  or  a  Baptist 
church  is  a  church  of  Christ.  Its  baptism,  i.  e.,  its  initiation,  is 
valid.  The  worst  we  can  say  of  it  is  that  it  was  irregularly  per- 
formed. Regularity  in  the  administration  of  the  rite  of  initiation 
into  the  Church  of  Christ — historical  regularity,  dating  back  to 
apostolic  practice — demands  that  the  candidate  be  baptized  by 
immersion  in  water.  But  immersion  is  not  essential  in  order  to 
give  validity  to  the  initiation.  Any  doctrine  of  baptism  whose 
effect  is  to  unchurch  the  Church,  as  Thomas  Campbell  warned 
his  son,  Alexander,  is  surely  fallacious. — C.  C.  Morrison:  The  Mean- 
ing of  Baptism,  p.  215. 

Do  Disciples  Churches  Have  Creeds?  Theoretically 
not;  but  unwritten  creeds  are  as  certainly  creeds  as  are 
written  creeds;  the  lex  non  scripta  is  as  valid  as  the  lex 
scripta.  But  some  Disciples  churches  have  very  substan- 
tial creeds  incorporated  in  their  covenants.  The  following 
will  serve  as  an  illustration,  and  is  taken  from  a  standard 
manual  for  the  organization  and  government  of  churches 
of  the  Disciples  of  Christ: 

A  Creed  Within  a  Disciples'  Covenant.  We,  the  undersigned, 
have  been  baptized  upon  confession  of  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  We  desire  to  unite  in  a  congregation  because  we  believe 
in  the  wisdom  of  associated  effort  in  things  spiritual  as  well  as  in 
things  temporal;  because  we  earnestly  desire  to  grow  in  grace 
and  in  knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God;  and  because  we  believe 
that  by  combining  our  means  and  talents  we  may  become  more 
influential  witnesses  for  Christ  in  this  community,  securing  thereby 
more  consideration  for  our  cause  as  well  as  a  deeper  Christian 
life  for  ourselves.  We  have  already  covenanted  with  God  in 
Christ.  In  so  doing  we  realize  that  we  have  taken  God  the  Father 
to  be  our  God,  Jesus  Christ  to  be  our  Saviour,  the  Holy  Spirit  to 


40  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

be  our  cherished  Guest  and  Sanctifier,  the  Word  of  God  to  be 
our  only  rule  of  Faith  and  Practice,  the  salvation  of  all  men  to 
be  an  object  of  perpetual  concern,  and  the  people  of  God  to  be  in 
an  especial  sense  our  people.     In  order  to  fulfill  most  effectively 

this  solemn  covenant,  we  do  now  on  this  the day  of ,  in 

the  year  of  our  Lord  ,  unite  to  form  a  Church  of  Christ  in 

,  and  we  do  hereby  covenant  to  do  all  in  our  power  to  pro- 
mote the  growth,  spirituality  and  general  prosperity  of  this  con- 
gregation. To  this  end  we  pledge  ourselves  by  the  aid  of  God's 
Word  and  Spirit  to  lead  lives  of  personal  righteousness,  to  give 
freely  as  the  Lord  blesses  our  labors  for  the  maintenance  of  his 
cause,  to  attend  faithfully  upon  the  services  of  the  church,  and 
to  do  good  to  all  men,  but  especially  to  those  who  are  of  the 
household  of  faith.  In  testimony  of  our  deliberateness  and  sin- 
cerity, we  hereunto  affix  our  names. — Joseph  H.  Foy,  Pastor  of 
Fourth  Christian  Church  of  St.  Louis,  in  The  Christian  Worker, 
pp.  121,  122. 

What  Is  the  Polity  of  the  Christian  Connection?    The 

Christian  Connection  is  Congregational  in  government.  It 
has,  however,  annual  conferences  composed  of  ministers 
and  lay  delegates  which  receive  and  ordain  pastors,  and  a 
General  Convention  meeting  once  in  four  years.  It  is 
divided  into  two  bodies,  North  and  South,  the  division  re- 
sulting from  the  anti-slavery  discussion  in  1854.  The 
churches  of  this  order  recognize  no  creed  but  the  Bible, 
and  their  polity  is  in  all  important  points  similar  to  that 
of  other  Congregational  churches. 

A  Congregational  Body.  The  churches  of  the  Christian  Con- 
nection, nearly  fifteen  hundred  in  number,  comprising  upwards  of 
one  hundred  thousand  communicants,  arc  simply  Congregational 
churches.  There  was  once  a  reason  for  their  separate  organiza- 
tion. At  the  present  day,  no  such  reason  (aside  from  the  fact 
that  the  organization  already  exists)  could  be  alleged  which  would 
not  be  equally  a  reason  why  the  communion  of  the  Congregational 
churches  should  be  itself  divided  by  the  withdrawal  or  exclusion 
of  some  of  its  worthiest  churches. — Bacon:  Congregationalists,  p. 
259. 

Is    Congregationalism    Identical    with    Independency? 

Congregationalism  is  not  identical  with  Independency,  al- 
though the  two  polities  have  frequently  been  confused, 
particularly  in  England.  Independency  does  not  recognize, 
as  Congregationalism  does,  the  fellowship  of  the  churches 
as  a  part  of  their  organic  structure. 

Congregationalists    and    Independents.     Historically    the    two 


THE   LARGER    CONGREGATIONALISM  41 

terms  have  been  used  interchangeably.  For  the  last  two  hundred 
years  most  Independents  have  been  Congregationalists — or,  at 
least,  the  churches  describing  themselves  as  "Independent" 
churches  have  preserved  the  traditions  of  the  Congregational 
polity.  But  under  the  Commonwealth  and  the  Protectorate  many 
Congregationalists  objected  to  be  described  as  Independents;  and 
there  were  many  Independents  who  were  not  Congregationalists. — 
R.  W.  Dale:  History  of  English  Congregationalism,  pp.  375-376. 

Not  Independency.  We  arc  much  charged  with  what  we  own 
not,  viz.: — Independency,  when  as  we  know  not  any  Churches 
Reformed,  more  looking  at  sister  Churches  for  helpe  then  ours 
doe,  onely  we  can  not  have  rule  yet  discovered  from  any  friend 
or  enemy,  that  we  should  be  under  Canon,  or  power  of  any  other 
Church;  under  their  Councell  we  are.  We  need  not  tell  the  wise 
whence  Tyranny  grew  in  Churches,  and  how  commonwealths  got 
their  pressure  in  the  like  kind. — Hugh  Peters  (executed  1660).' 
Answer  to  the  Elders,  iv. 

Freedom  and  Fellowship.  Or  else,  if  it  could  be  clearly  evinced 
by  any  of  the  Congregational  men's  words  and  writings,  opinions 
or  practices  in  Old  England  or  New;  first  that  they  do  altogether 
exclude  the  advice  and  counsel  of  the  servants  of  Christ  in 
neighbor  churches,  when  there  is  occasion  for  it;  or  secondly,  that 
they  refuse  to  be  accountable  for  their  actions  unto  those  who 
shall  in  a  faire  and  orderly  way,  according  to  the  rule  of  the 
Gospel,  in  the  name  of  Christ  desire  them  ...  I  say  if  these 
things  could  be  fairly  made  out  against  those  of  the  Congrega- 
tional way,  it  were  something,  then  I  confesse,  our  brethren  (as 
in  words  they  profess  themselves)  might  justly  accuse  us  before 
heaven  and  earth  of  Pride  and  Arrogancy,  of  presumption.  Blas- 
phemy and  independency:  but  (forever  blessed  be  the  Lord)  this 
they  cannot  do. — Bartlet:  Model  of  the  Primitive  Congregational 
Way,  1647. 

We  Approve  Not  the  Term.  The  state  of  the  members  of  the 
militant  visible  church  walking  in  order,  was  either  before  the 
law,  economical,  that  is  in  families;  or  under  the  law,  national; 
or  since  the  coming  of  Christ,  only  congregational:  (The  term 
independent  we  approve  not.)  Therefore  neither  national,  provin- 
cial nor  classical. — Cambridge  Platform  of  1648,  ii,  5. 

Has  Congregationalism  Influenced  Other  Denomina- 
tions? There  is  probably  no  denomination  in  America,  no 
matter  what  its  theoretical  polity,  which  has  not  been 
notably  influenced  by  the  Congregational  system.  A  recent 
volume  by  Bishop  Thomas  B.  Neely  makes  frequent  com- 
plaint of  the  growing  tendency  of  Methodist  churches  to 
call  their  pastors  almost  to  the  disregard  of  conferences 
and  bishops.  There  are  Episcopal  churches  which,  within 
the  bounds  of  the  local  parish,  definitely  assert  and  practice 
the  Congregational  principle.     Even   Roman   Catholicism, 


42  THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

which  by  the  way  has  retained  in  its  ritual  some  reminis- 
cences of  primitive  Congregationalism,  is  influenced  in  no 
small  degree  by  the  voice  of  the  people  through  the  local 
parish. 

Dr.  Dexter  Says:  It  is  remarkable  that  a  trace  of  this  original 
Congregationalism,  even  to  this  day,  maintains  and  justifies  itself 
in  the  very  ritual  of  the  papal  system;  since  the  bishop  is  made 
to  say,  while  ordaining  a  priest,  "it  was  not  without  good  reason 
that  the  fathers  had  ordained  that  the  advice  of  the  people  should 
be  taken  in  the  election  of  those  persons  who  were  to  serve  at  the 
altar;  to  the  end  that,  having  given  assent  to  their  ordination,  they 
might  the  more  readily  yield  obedience  to  those  who  were  so 
ordained"  ["Neque  enim  frustra  a  patribus  institutum,  ut  de  elec- 
tione  illorum  qui  ad  regimen  altaris  adhibendi  sunt,  consulatur 
ctiam  populus,"  etc.]. — Pontif.  Rom.  DeOrdinat.  Pres.  fol.  38. 

Other  Denominations  Congregationalized.  The  prevailing 
power  of  the  Congregational  principle,  in  America,  is  nowhere 
more  impressively  manifested  than  in  its  practical  dominance  in 
those  orders  of  the  American  church  in  which  theoretically  it  is 
least  recognized.  No  American  sect  has  been  organized  with  a 
loftier  contempt  of  Congregational  principles  than  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  as  it  took  form  under  the  controlling  influence 
of  John  Wesley.  "We  are  not  republicans,  and  do  not  intend  to 
be,"  was  his  characteristic  dictum.  But  in  spite  of  his  intentions, 
that  is  the  direction  in  which  his  great  institute  is  tending.  Even 
the  form  of  the  original  oligarchy  has  been  modified  by  our  cli- 
matic conditions;  and  where  the  form  remains,  it  is  well  under- 
stood, both  within  and  without,  that  the  absolute  authority  over 
the  individual  congregation  is  to  be  exercised  with  scrupulous 
regard  to  the  previously  ascertained  wishes  of  the  congregation. — 
Bacon:  Congregationalists,  po.  260,  261. 

What  Is  the  Congregational  Attitude  Toward  Christian 
Union?  Congregationalists  are,  and  always  have  been, 
friends  of  Christian  union.  It  was  not  the  intention  of 
the  Congregational  fathers  to  found  a  sect,  and  every  move- 
ment for  denominational  organization  has  been  closely 
watched  from  within  and  jealously  guarded  lest  it  should 
in  any  wise  widen  whatever  breach  exists  between  the  Con- 
gregational churches  and  other  portions  of  the  one  Church 
of  Christ.  Congregationalism  in  its  spirit  is  true  catho- 
licity. 

Congregationalists  not  only  believe  in  the  spirit  of 
Christian  union,  but  in  general  they  practice  it,  and  they 
have  been  leaders  in  all  forms  of  interdenominational  effort. 


THE  LARGER   CONGREGATIONALISM  43 

repeatedly  sacrificing  their  own  advantage  for  the  sake  of 
maintaining  close  relations  in  spirit  with  the  Church  of 
Christ  at  large.  Repeatedly  they  have  gone  with  others 
who  would  not  come  with  them.  The  spirit  of  the  denom- 
ination in  its  relation  to  the  Christian  Church  as  a  whole 
is  admirably  set  forth  in  the  resolution  adopted  at  the 
National  Council  in  its  opening  session  in  Oberlin  in  1871, 
which  became  virtually  a  part  of  its  Constitution. 

The  Oberlin  Declaration.  The  members  of  the  National  Coun- 
cil, representing  the  Congregational  churches  of  the  United  States, 
avail  themselves  of  this  opportunity  to  renevir  their  previous 
declarations  of  faith  in  the  unity  of  the  Church  of  God. 

While  affirming  the  liberty  of  our  churches,  as  taught  in  the 
New  Testament,  and  inherited  by  us  from  our  fathers,  and  from 
martyrs  and  confessors  of  foregoing  ages,  w^e  adhere  to  this  liberty 
all  the  more  as  affording  the  ground  and  hope  of  a  more  visible 
unity  in  time  to  come.  We  desire  and  propose  to  co-operate  with 
all  the  churches  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

In  the  expression  of  the  same  catholic  sentiments  solemnly 
avowed  by  the  Council  of  1865  on  the  Burial  Hill  at  Plymouth, 
we  wish,  at  this  new  epoch  of  our  history,  to  remove,  so  far  as 
in  us  lies,  all  causes  of  suspicion  and  alienation,  and  to  promote 
the  growing  unity  of  counsel  and  of  the  effort  among  the  followers 
of  Christ.  To  us,  as  to  our  brethren,  there  is  one  body  and  one 
spirit,  even  as  we  are  called  in  one  hope  of  our  calling. 

As  little  as  did  our  fathers  in  their  day,  do  we  in  ours,  make 
a  pretension  to  be  the  only  churches  of  Christ.  We  find  ourselves 
consulting  and  acting  together  under  the  distinctive  name  of  Con- 
gregationalists  because  in  the  present  condition  of  our  common 
Christianity  we  have  felt  ourselves  called  to  ascertain  and  to  do 
our  own  appropriate  part  of  the  work  of  Christ's  Church  among 
men. 

We  especially  desire,  in  prosecuting  the  common  work  of 
evangelizing  our  own  land  and  the  world,  to  observe  the  common 
and  sacred  law,  that,  in  the  wide  field  of  the  world's  evangeliza- 
tion, we  do  our  work  in  friendly  co-operation  with  all  those  who 
love  and  serve  our  common  Lord. 

We  believe  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church.  It  is  our  prayer  and 
endeavor  that  the  unity  of  the  Church  may  be  more  and  more 
apparent,  and  that  the  prayer  of  our  Lord  for  his  disciples  may 
be  speedily  and  completely  answered,  and  all  be  one;  that  by 
consequence  of  this  Christian  unity  in  love,  the  world  may  believe 
in  Christ  as  sent  of  the  Father  to  save  the  world. 

From  the  Boston  Platform.  The  churches  of  the  Congrega- 
tional polity,  as  integral  portions  of  Christ's  Catholic  Church, 
maintain  all  practicable  communion  with  all  other  portions  of  the 
Church  universal.  While  other  churches  diflfer  from  us  in  their 
internal  polity,  in  their  relations  and  connections  with  each  other, 
in  their  forms  of  worship,  or  in  the  uninspired  statements  and 
definitions  of  doctrines  disputed  among  Christians,  and  while  we 


44  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

disown  their  scheme  of  hierarchical  or  synodical  government,  we 
acknowledge  as  particular  churches  of  Christ  all  congregations  of 
Christian  worshipers  that  acknowledge  the  Holy  Scriptures  as 
their  supreme  rule  of  faith  and  practice,  and  Christ  as  the  Lamb 
of  God  who  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world. — 1865,  III,  i,  3. 

An  Episcopal  Bishop's  Declaration.  The  only  basis  upon  which 
the  churches  can  come  together  into  the  unity  of  which  the  Lord 
Jesus  prophesied,  for  which  He  prayed,  and  upon  which  He  hinged 
the  salvation  of  the  world  is  the  basis  of  Gospel  republicanism  of 
the  purest  type.  The  selection  of  this  basis  for  church  union 
would  be  justified  by  the  history  of  organic  Christianity. — Bishop 
IVni.  M.  Brown,  of  Arkansas:  A  Level  Plan  of  Church  Union,  p.  78. 

The  Pastor  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers.  And  so  [John  Robinson] 
advised  us  by  all  means  .  .  .  rather  to  study  union  than 
division. — Edward  Winslow:  Hypocrisie  Unmasked. 

Is  Congregationalism  Favorable  to  Progress?  Congre- 
gationalism has  been  a  progressive  faith.  It  has  always 
maintained  a  belief  in  the  sufficiency  of  the  Holy  Scriptures, 
and  also  in  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  whom 
those  Scriptures  are  revealed.  The  brief  confession  of  faith 
incorporated  in  the  constitution  of  the  National  Council 
recognized  this  principle,  in  the  words,  "Depending,  as  did 
our  fathers,  upon  the  continued  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
to  lead  us  into  all  truth."  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the 
Pilgrim  fathers  had  no  thought  of  their  system  as  a  finality, 
but  were  willing  to  be  "even  as  stepping-stones  unto  others 
for  the  performing  of  so  great  a  work." 

In  a  very  interesting  communication  by  Edward  Wins- 
low,  printed  in  1646,  under  the  title  of  "Hypocrisie  Un- 
masked," in  reply  to  charges  which  one  Samuel  Gorton 
had  made  against  the  colonies,  we  have  a  remarkable  par- 
agraph setting  forth  the  teaching  of  John  Robinson,  pastor 
of  the  Pilgrim  fathers,  as  the  Pilgrims  were  about  to  sail 
from  Holland.  Whether  this  formed  a  part  of  his  fare- 
well discourse  we  are  not  sure,  but  that  it  represents  the 
spirit  of  Robinson  we  cannot  doubt: 

John  Robinson's  Faith  in  Progress.  In  the  next  place,  for  the 
wholesome  counsell  Mr.  Robinson  gave  that  part  of  the  Church 
whereof  he  was  Pastor,  at  their  departure  from  him  to  begin  the 
great  worke  of  Plantation  in  New  England,  amongst  other  whol- 
some  Instructions  and  Exhortations,  hee  used  these  expressions, 
or  to  the  same  purpose;  We  are  now  ere  long  to  part  asunder, 
and   the   Lord   knoweth   whether   ever   he   should   live   to   see   our 


THE   LARGER    CONGREGATIONALISM  45 

faces  again:  but  whether  the  Lord  had  appointed  it  or  not,  he 
charged  us  before  God  and  his  blessed  Angels,  to  follow  him  no 
further  then  he  followed  Christ.  And  if  God  should  reveal  any- 
thing to  us  by  any  other  instrument  of  his,  to  be  as  ready  to 
receive  it,  as  ever  we  were  to  receive  any  truth  by  his  Ministry: 
For  he  was  very  confident  the  Lord  had  more  truth  and  light  yet 
to  break  forth  out  of  his  holy  Word.  He  took  occasion  also 
miserably  to  bewaile  the  state  and  condition  of  the  Reformed 
churches,  who  were  come  to  a  period  in  Religion,  and  would  goe 
no  further  then  the  instruments  of  their  Reformation:  As  for 
example,  the  Lutherans  they  could  not  be  drawne  to  goe  beyond 
what  Luther  saw,  for  whatever  part  of  God's  will  he  had  further 
imparted  and  revealed  to  Calvin,  they  will  rather  die  then  embrace 
it.  And  so  also,  saith  he,  you  see  the  Calvinists,  they  stick  where 
he  left  them:  A  misery  much  to  bee  lamented;  For  though  they 
were  precious  shining  lights  in  their  times,  yet  God  had  not 
revealed  his  whole  will  to  them:  And  were  they  now  living,  saith 
hee,  they  would  bee  as  ready  and  willing  to  embrace  further  light, 
as  that  they  had  received.  Here  also  he  put  us  in  mind  of  our 
Church-Covenant  (at  least  that  part  of  it)  whereby  wee  promise 
and  covenant  with  God  and  one  with  another,  to  receive  what- 
soever light  or  truth  shall  be  made  known  to  us  from  his  written 
Word:  but  withall  exhorted  us  to  take  heed  what  we  received  for 
truth,  and  well  to  examine  and  compare,  and  weigh  it  with  other 
Scriptures  of  truth,  before  we  received  it;  For,  saith  he.  It  is 
not  possible  the  Christian  world  should  come  so  lately  out  of  such 
thick  Antichristian  darkness,  and  that  full  perfection  of  knowledge 
should  breake  forth  at  once. — Winslow:  Hypocrisic  Unmasked,  1646. 

Will  Congregationalism  Endure?  Congregationalism  in 
some  form  will  endure  as  long  as  democracy  endures,  as 
long  as  Christian  brotherhood  endures;  but  Congregation- 
alism as  we  now  know  it  may  undergo  some  important 
changes  in  its  adaptation  to  changing  world  conditions  and 
conditions  framed  by  its  relation  to  other  religious  bodies. 

This  being  true,  it  might  be  assumed  that  it  is  almost 
a  waste  of  time  to  study  church  government,  but  the  very 
reverse  is  true.  The  changes  which  are  to  be  wrought, 
not  only  in  Congregationalism  but  in  all  organized  Chris- 
tianity, need  to  be  wrought  under  the  guidance  of  men 
whose  experience  and  knowledge  qualify  them  for  the  task. 

The  life  of  a  church,  as  truly  as  the  life  of  a  political 
party,  is  one  of  adaptations.  Old  issues  die  out.  New 
questions  rise.  There  are  new  opponents,  and  new  oppor- 
tunities. In  the  facing  of  these,  political  parties  modify 
their  organization  or  die,  and  so  do  churches.     No  church. 


46  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

not  even  the  Roman  Catholic,  remains  unchanged  through 
the  ages.  Everything  that  lives  grows,  and  everything  that 
grows  changes. 

The  Congregational  churches  have  met  new  conditions. 
Their  situation  is  very  different  from  that  which  confronted 
them  in  1620,  or  even  in  1865.  There  is  a  whole  world  of 
new  issues  and  new  problems.  The  industrial  world  has 
felt  and  is  feeling  it.  The  little  village  factory  has  gone 
out,  and  the  great  city  factory  has  come  in.  Population 
has  shifted  from  the  country  to  town.  Changes  in  the  life 
of  the  people  involve  changes  in  their  institutions.  These 
changes  take  place  in  good  part  without  definite  purpose 
or  guidance;  they  evolve  under  the  influences  of  growth. 
But  many  of  them  are  the  result  of  definite  thought  and 
purpose. 

Even  the  churches  that  think  they  do  not  change,  do 
change.  The  Episcopal  Church  has  sometimes  supposed  it 
did  not  change  in  coming  to  America,  but  it  did  change.  It 
dropped  the  Athanasian  Creed,  damnatory  clauses  and  all, 
and  it  came  nearer  than  most  people  know  to  dropping  the 
Nicene  Creed  also.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church  thinks  it 
does  not  change;  but  it  organizes  Knights  of  Columbus 
and  Sisters  of  Charity,  and  elaborates  its  organization  as  it 
thinks  it  needs,  and  adds  a  dogma  like  the  infallibility  of 
the  Pope  or  the  Immaculate  Conception,  as  it  has  done  in 
our  own  day.  Roman  Catholicism  as  it  now  exists  under 
an  alleged  infallible  pope  is  the  youngest  of  all  church 
polities. 

The  Congregational  form  of  organization  has  not 
changed  more  than  these  less  elastic  forms  in  its  essential 
principles,  but  it  makes  no  secret  of  its  changes.  From 
time  to  time  it  faces  new  issues,  and  endeavors  to  meet 
them  with  such  adaptations  as  are  necessary. 

We  are  certain  to  meet  the  necessity  of  changes  in  our 
denominational  life.  A  group  of  questions  rises  out  of  the 
normal  development  of  our  great  common  interests.  We 
have  a  great  volume  of  business,  educational,  philanthropic, 


THE   LARGER    CONGREGATIONALISM 47 

and  missionary,  which  belongs  to  no  one  local  church,  but 
to  all  the  Congregational  churches  together.  We  have  other 
interests  even  larger,  such  as  the  publication  of  the  Bible, 
and  plans  for  vast  movements  in  foreign  lands  where  the 
Christian  Church  must  stand  as  a  unit.  We  have  been 
doing  this  work  well,  but  not  so  well  as  we  hope  to  do  it 
in  future. 

Permanent  Factors  in  Reorganization.  And  now,  at  the  close 
of  the  nineteenth  century,  the  Christian  societies  find  themselves 
surrounded  by  new  conditions.  There  are  new  intellectual  condi- 
tions and  new  social  conditions.  The  question  which  presses  for 
answer  and  will  not  be  evaded  is  how  much  of  the  form  which 
grew  out  of,  and  was  good  for,  earlier  and  different  circumstances 
must  be  retained  or  abandoned  now.  The  contingency  which  has 
to  be  faced  is  that  the  intellectual  forces  of  the  civilized  world 
may  be  arrayed  against  Christianity,  as  once  they  were  in  its 
favor;  and  that  the  social  forces  which  are  drawing  men  into  com- 
bination may  draw  them  into  combinations  in  which  Christianity 
will  have  no  part.  For  these  contingencies  the  Church  of  Christ 
is  prepared.  It  survived  Gnosticism,  it  will  survive  Agnosticism. 
It  survived  polytheism,  it  will  survive  atheism.  It  survived  the 
disruption  of  European  society  when  the  Roman  Empire  fell  to 
pieces,  it  will  survive  the  possible  disruption  of  European  society 
when,  if  ever,  Labor  wins  its  victory  over  Capital,  and  Socialism 
over  Aristocracy. 

But  the  survival  of  the  Church  of  Christ — that  is,  of  the  whole 
congregation  of  Christian  people  dispersed  throughout  the  world — 
is  not  necessarily  the  survival  of  this  or  that  existing  institution. 
After  each  of  its  earlier  struggles,  there  was  at  least  this  mark  of 
conflict,  that  there  was  a  re-adaptation  of  form.  .  .  .  But,  what- 
ever be  the  form  in  which  they  are  destined  to  be  shaped,  the 
work  which  the  Christian  societies,  as  societies,  have  to  do,  in 
the  days  to  come,  is  not  inferior  to  any  work  which  has  lain 
before  them  in  any  epoch  of  their  history.  For  the  air  is  charged 
with  thunder,  and  the  times  that  are  coming  may  be  times  of 
storm.  There  are  phenomena  beneath  the  surface  of  society,  of 
which  it  would  be  hardly  possible  to  overrate  the  significance. 
There  is  a  widening  separation  of  class  from  class;  there  is  a 
growing  social  strain;  there  is  a  disturbance  of  the  political 
equilibrium;  there  is  the  rise  of  an  educated  proletariat.  To  the 
problems  which  these  suggest,  Christianity  has  the  key.  Its  un- 
accomplished mission  is  to  reconstruct  society  on  the  basis  of 
brotherhood.  ...  To  you  and  me  and  men  like  ourselves  is 
committed,  in  these  anxious  days,  that  which  is  at  once  an  awful 
responsibility  and  a  splendid  destiny — to  transform  this  modern 
world  into  a  Christian  society,  ...  to  gather  together  the 
scattered  forces  of  a  divided  Christendom  into  a  confederation  in 
which  organization  will  be  of  less  account  than  fellowship,  with 
one  Spirit,  and  faith  in  one  Lord — into  a  communion  wide  as 
human  life  and  deep  as  human  need — ^into  a  Church  which  shall 


48  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

outshine  even  the  golden  glory  of  its  dawn  by  the  splendor  of  its 
eternal  noon. — Hatch:  Organization  of  the  Early  Churches. 

What  Form  of  Congregationalism  Will  Endure?  Among 
the  various  forms  of  Congregationalism,  we  may  distin- 
guish three  principal  groups.  What  may  be  called  the 
Liberal  group,  though  the  name  we  like  not  nor  its  impli- 
cations, consists  of  the  Unitarians  and  Universalists.  What 
may  be  called,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  the  immersionist 
group,  consists  of  the  Baptists,  the  Disciples  and  the  Chris- 
tian Connection.  The  third  is  the  historic  group  of  Con- 
gregational churches,  sometimes  called,  by  way  of  distinc- 
tion, the  Orthodox  churches,  though  this  name  too  we  dis- 
allow as  being  unofficial  and  to  some  extent  misleading. 
It  is  interesting  to  forecast  the  future  and  to  ask  which  of 
these  three  groups  is  most  likely  to  represent  the  Congre- 
gational principle  in  the  future. 

It  is  not  likely  that  the  so-called  Liberal  group  will  be 
the  sole  surviving  monument  of  the  Congregational  prin- 
ciple. However  necessary  their  protest  may  have  been  at 
the  outset  of  their  history  (and  no  discussion  of  that  ques- 
tion is  pertinent  to  this  book)  and  however  faithfully  they 
may  have  served  the  cause  of  Christ  thus  far,  either  in 
their  own  communions  or  beyond,  they  have  manifested  no 
power  of  growth  or  promise  of  future  expansion  which 
justifies  a  belief  in  their  coming  ascendency. 

Nor  is  it  likely  that  the  thought  of  coming  generations 
will  lay  as  much  emphasis  as  has  sometimes  been  laid  in 
the  past  upon  questions  relating  to  the  mode  of  baptism, 
or  the  terms  of  admission  to  the  Lord's  Supper.  Close 
communion  has  never  been  practiced  by  the  Disciples,  the 
Christian  Connection,  or  the  Free  Baptists,  and  is  not  prac- 
ticed by  Baptists  in  England.  It  is  virtually  a  dead  letter 
in  the  larger  and  more  influential  Baptist  churches  of  the 
North.  Close  baptism  can  have  no  logical  standing  after 
close  communion  has  gone.  Moreover,  it  is  increasingly 
evident  that  denominations  which  accept  the  Bible  as  their 
sole  rule  of  faith  and  practice  cannot  logically  superimpose 


THE   LARGER    CONGREGATIONALISM 49 

the  interpretation  of  a  minority  of  Christendom  upon  the 
Bible  and  compel  not  only  its  acceptance  but  also  the  ad- 
mission that  in  accepting  it  nothing  has  been  added  to  the 
words  written  in  the  book.  It  is  increasingly  difficult  to 
believe  that  Jesus  who  ate  the  passover,  not  at  all  as  com- 
manded in  the  Old  Testament  (Ex.  ii :  lo-ii),  not  standing 
but  reclining,  not  with  sandals  on  but  with  sandals  re- 
moved, who  did  not  hasten  away  after  the  Supper  but 
remained  in  conversation  for  a  considerable  length  of  time, 
who  did  not  burn  what  was  left  but  had  enough  remaining 
for  the  celebration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  who  thus 
disregarded  practically  every  incidental  form  connected 
with  the  observance  of  his  nation's  most  sacred  festival, 
cared  enough  about  forms  to  wish  his  disciples  to  separate 
and  quarrel  over  them. 

No  man  is  wise  enough  to  say  what  modifications  must 
come  into  any  system  in  order  to  adapt  it  to  the  future  of 
the  human  race,  but  we  may  feel  reasonably  certain  that 
the  democratic  form  of  church  government  will  be  at  least 
one  of  the  permanent  forms  in  the  life  of  American  Chris- 
tianity and  there  is  some  good  reason  to  believe  that  it  will 
become,  as  increasingly  it  is,  the  dominant  form ;  and  fur- 
ther, there  is  no  present  reason  to  believe  that  the  strong, 
free  historic  type  represented  in  traditional  Congregation- 
alism will  pass  away,  or  give  place  either  to  a  sacramental 
or  to  the  so-called  liberal  type.  In  church  as  in  state  we 
may  still  believe  that  government  of  the  people,  for  the 
people  and  by  the  people  will  not  perish  from  the  earth. 

The  Trend  of  Baptist  and  Disciples  Practice.  But  the  finer 
spirits  in  both  these  immersion-practicing  bodies  recoil  at  the  im- 
plications of  their  practice.  They  are  coming  to  see  with  some 
degree  of  clearness  that  to  refuse  to  honor  a  credential  from 
another  congregation  and  to  refuse  to  receive  the  bearer  of  it  is 
to  affront  that  other  congregation,  to  discredit  the  previous 
church  affiliation  of  the  bearer  of  the  credential,  and  to  invalidate 
his  Christian  status  and  experience.  Such  a  procedure  is  the  very- 
essence  of  sectarianism.  Indeed  it  may  properly  be  called  con- 
gregational phariseeism,  and  is  rightly  resented  by  affusion-prac- 
ticing churches  who  know  that  its  "holier  than  thou"  implications 
are  totally  unfounded. — C.  C.  Morrison:  The  Meaning  of  Baptism, 
p.  211. 


IV.    THE  NEW  TESTAMENT  CHURCH 

What  Is  the  Meaning  of  the  Word  Church?    The  New 

Testament  word  translated  church  is  the  Greek  word 
ecclesia.  It  is  important  to  remember  that  Jesus  did  not 
invent  a  new  word,  but  employed  one  already  familiar, 
with  meanings  well  understood  both  by  his  immediate 
disciples  and  by  their  Gentile  converts.  This  noun  is  de- 
rived from  a  verb  meaning  to  call  out.  As  used  in  the 
New  Testament  and  in  classic  Greek,  its  primary  signifi- 
cance is  not  that  of  separation,  as  of  individuals  called  out 
from  among  the  world,  but  of  convocation,  as  of  an 
assembly,  called  out  from  the  homes  of  the  persons  assem- 
bled. The  word  had  long  been  employed  in  Athens  to 
signify  the  general  assembly  of  the  citizens  qualified  to 
vote  in  municipal  affairs.  The  term  as  used  in  classic 
Greek  is  virtually  equivalent  to  our  modern  use  of  the  idea 
expressed  in  a  town  meeting. 

The  word  ecclesia  or  church  is  also  found  in  the 
Septuagint,  where  it  is  commonly  used  to  translate  the 
Hebrew  word  qahal.  By  an  interesting  coincidence,  the 
root  of  these  two  words  is  very  nearly  the  same.  Still 
further,  it  is  not  unlike  the  English  call.  The  word  occurs 
seventy-six  times  in  the  Greek  Old  Testament,  or  in  some 
readings  seventy-seven,  and  there  are  twenty  instances  of 
its  use  in  the  Apocrypha.  As  employed  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment, the  term  signifies'  the  congregation  or  assembly  of 
Israel.  The  earliest  instance  is  Lev.  8:3,  which  reads  in 
Greek,  "Assemble  thou  all  the  synagogues  of  the  ecclesia." 
The  whole  company  thus  was  gathered  at  the  door  of  the 
tent  of  meeting.  In  such  passages  as  I  Samuel  19:20,  the 
ecclesia  is  not  the  whole  national  assembly,  but  the  com- 
pany of  the  prophets  gathered  together.  In  some  instances 
it  is  used  in  the  plural,  as  in  Psalm  2y:  12  and  Psalm  68:  26, 
where  God  is  praised  ''in  the  congregations."  There  is  also 
a  "congregation  of  the  wicked,"  as  in  Proverbs  26:5.     In 


THE    NEW   TESTAMENT    CHURCH  51 

some  instances  the  term  is  used  of  an  army,  as  in  Ezekiel 
23 :  24,  "And  they  shall  come  against  thee  with  weapons, 
chariots,  wagons,  and  with  an  ecclesia  of  peoples."  Even 
in  the  cases  of  which  this  is  an  extreme  illustration,  the 
thought  is  of  the  assembly,  of  a  company  called  together 
in  response  to  a  definite  invitation  or  proclamation.  In 
some  of  the  Old  Testament  passages  the  ecclesia  definitely 
includes  old  and  young,  the  aged  and  little  children. 

In  the  New  Testament  the  word  ecclesia  appears  one 
hundred  and  fifteen  times.  Of  its  particular  uses  there  will 
be  discussion  hereafter.  The  important  thing  to  be  recog- 
nized at  the  outset  is  that  it  was  no  new  word  and  repre- 
sented no  inherently  new  idea.  The  word  came  to  the 
Jews  with  definite  Old  Testament  associations,  and  also 
with  a  connotation  derived  from  its  use  in  Greek  politics. 
The  ecclesia  of  a  city  like  Athens  was  the  whole  body  of 
citizens  called  together  to  legislate  and  to  determine  the 
policy  of  the  state.  It  had  leaders  and  officers,  but  the 
people  constituted  the  sovereign  body.  So  in  the  Old 
Testament,  while  there  were  prophets,  scribes  and  authori- 
ties learned  in  the  law,  the  ecclesia  was  the  body  of  the 
people.  It  was  this  body  which  ratified  the  Law  (Deut. 
27:  11-26)  ;  it  was  this  body  which  joined  in  solemn  cove- 
nant to  obey  Jehovah  Josh.  24:  1-2,  16-24).  The  New 
Testament  inherited  this  word  with  these  definite  connota- 
tions. 

The  Ecclesia  in  Primitive  Religions.  The  ecclesia,  the  meeting, 
the  gathering  together,  the  congregation,  has  a  far  higher  impor- 
tance than  for  the  mere  purpose  of  unity  in  an  outward  function. 
It  is  the  means  by  which  that  most  potent  agent  in  religious  life, 
collective  suggestion,  is  brought  to  bear  upon  the  mind.  It  has 
been  instinctively  recognized  by  every  religion,  and  especially  by 
mystical  teachers,  as  an  indispensable  element  in  the  dissemination 
of  doctrine. — Brinton:  Religion  of  Primitive  Peoples,  p.  178. 

The  Ecclesia  in  Athens  and  Sparta.  The  ecclesia  at  Athens 
was  the  general  assembly  of  the  citizens  in  which  they  met  for 
the  direct  exercise  of  their  sovereign  power.  .  .  .  The  assembly 
of  Spartan  freeman  possessed,  in  theory  at  least,  the  supreme 
authority  in  all  matters  affecting  the  general  interests  of  the  state. 
— Smith:  Dictionary  of  Greek  and  Roman  Antiquities,  Article 
Ecclesia. 


52  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

The  Meanings  of  the  Word  Before  Jesus  Used  It.  The  word 
ccclesia  has  an  important  history  behind  it  when  it  first  appears 
in  Christian  literature.  It  was  the  regular  designation  of  the 
whole  body  of  citizens  in  a  free  Greek  state,  "called  out,"  or  sum- 
moned to  the  transaction  of  public  business.  It  had  then  been 
employed  by  the  Greek  translators  of  the  Old  Testament  as  a 
natural  rendering  of  the  Hebrew  qahal,  the  whole  "congregation" 
of  Israel  regarded  in  its  entirety  as  the  people  of  God.  .  .  .  Thus 
the  traditions  of  the  word  enabled  it  to  appeal  alike  to  Tews  and 
Gentiles  as  a  fitting  designation  of  the  new  people  of  God,  the 
Christian  society  regarded  as  a  corporate  whole. — Canon  J.  A.  Rob- 
inson, in  Encyclopedia  Biblia,  Article  Church. 

The  Life  of  the  Christian  Ecclesia.  As  an  essential  social 
being,  man  lives  in  communities,  and  depends  upon  his  com- 
munities for  all  that  makes  his  civilization  articulate.  His  com- 
munities, as  both  Plato  and  Aristotle  already  observed,  have  a 
sort  of  organic  life  of  their  own,  so  that  we  can  compare  a  hugely 
developed  community,  such  as  a  state,  either  to  the  soul  of  a 
man  or  to  a  living  animal.  A  community  is  not  a  mere  collection 
of  individuals.  It  is  a  sort  of  live  unit,  that  has  organs,  as  the 
body  of  an  individual  has  organs.  A  community  grows  or  decays, 
is  healthy  or  diseased,  is  young  or  aged,  much  as  any  individual 
member  of  the  community  possesses  such  characters. — Royce:  The 
Problem  of  Christianity,  Vol.  I,  pp.  61,  62. 

Does    the    Bible    Use    "Church"    of    Things    Secular? 

Neither  the  Old  Testament  nor  the  New  restrict  the  word 
church  to  sacred  uses.  Treaties  on  church  polity  hitherto 
have  generally  fallen  into  the  natural  if  not  inevitable  error 
of  assuming  that  the  apostles  began  after  the  death  of  Jesus 
with  a  word  which  had  for  them  a  definite  and  wholly  sacred 
connotation ;  that  the  concept  "the  Church"  stood  out  in 
their  thought  and  that  of  their  contemporaries  as  defining 
an  institution  separate  from,  and  contrasted  with,  the  world. 
Recent  studies  in  the  great  mass  of  literature  never  till 
now  available  show  how  erroneous  was  this  assumption, 
and  have  driven  us  back  to  the  Bible  to  discover  that  there 
also  the  term  is  used  with  great  flexibility. 

For  instance,  we  discover  that  the  Book  of  Acts,  which 
uses  the  word  ecclesia  twenty-three  times,  employs  it  for 
a  community  or  group  or  assembly,  either  Gentile  or  Jew- 
ish or  Christian,  and  never  as  a  term  definitive  of  the 
Christian  company  as  different  in  kind  from  other  com- 
panies. The  Lord  added  to  the  ecclesia  at  Jerusalem  those 
that  were  being  saved ;  the  howling  mob  of  Ephesus  con- 


THE   NEW   TESTAMENT   CHURCH  53 

stituted  an  ecclesia  which  the  town-clerk  addressed,  declar- 
ing that  such  matters  should  be  settled  by  a  lawful  ecclesia, 
that  is,  a  regularly  called  meeting  of  the  proper  authorities. 
It  has,  indeed,  become  an  argument,  and  no  light  one,  for 
an  earlier  date  of  the  Book  of  Acts  than  has  sometimes 
been  accorded  it,  that  the  word  church  is  thus  used  with 
the  freedom  belonging  to  the  period  before  ecclesia  had  be- 
come a  technical  term. 

The  New  Use  of  the  Term.  The  name,  the  Church  {qahal, 
translated  ecclesia)  was  the  happiest  stroke  which  the  primitive 
community  accomplished  in  the  way  of  descriptive  titles  (that  it 
goes  back  to  Jesus  himself  is  not  very  probable,  in  spite  of  Matt. 
16:  18,  18: 17).  Paul  found  it  already  in  use,  and  indeed  in  three 
different  senses:  as  a  general  name  for  those  who  believed  in 
Christ,  "those  of  the  Church,"  as  meaning  the  individual  com- 
munity, and  as  meaning  the  assembling  together  of  the  com- 
munity. The  primitive  community  took  over  the  most  solemn 
expression  which  Judaism  used  for  the  whole  body  of  the  people 
in  relation  to  the  worship  of  God. — Harnack:  Constitution  and  Law 
of  the  Church,  p.  32. 

Who  Established  the  New  Testament   Church?    The 

beginnings  of  the  Church  may  be  clearly  traced  to  Jesus 
during  the  period  of  his  earthly  ministry.  Like  other  teach- 
ers of  the  time,  He  gathered  disciples  about  himself  and 
instructed  them  in  the  principles  of  his  teaching.  To  them 
He  gradually  unfolded  the  simple  method  of  his  system. 
Under  pressure  of  opposition  and  persecution,  this  organi- 
zation gradually  detached  itself  from  that  of  the  Jewish 
synagogue,  and  attained  self-consciousness  as  the  Church 
of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  Church  from  Jesus.  While  we  do  not  argue  that  any 
given  church  can  appeal  to  Jesus  as  the  author  of  its  characteristic 
doctrine  or  constitution,  the  connection  of  the  Church  as  such 
with  Jesus  is  as  certain  as  anything  in  human  experience. — James 
Denney:  The  Church  and  the  Kingdom,  p.  4. 

Product  of  His  Personality.  Those  subtle  influences  which  we 
call  the  spirit  of  the  age  and  the  spirit  of  the  teacher  require  for 
their  detailed  comprehension  fuller  literary  data  than  we  possess; 
but  from  the  existing  records  and  from  the  succeeding  religious 
development  we  may  infer  their  general  character;  and  it  appears 
that  the  early  Church  was  the  direct  product  of  the  teaching  and 
personality  of  Jesus. — C.  H.  Toy:  Judaism  and  Christianity,  p.  427. 

Began  at  Pentecost.  The  Church  was  not  begun  until  after 
the  descent  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on  the  day  of  Pentecost;  and  it  is 


54  THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

never   mentioned,    except    prospectively,   before    that    time. — Jacob: 
Ecclesiastical  Polity,  p.  13. 

Church  Founded  on  Christ.  Protestantism  has  made  the  Bible, 
rather  than  Christ,  the  formal  basis  of  the  Church.  Each  of  the 
Protestant  systems  has  attempted  to  give  the  New  Testament 
scriptures  a  regulative  value,  even  in  the  details  of  church  polity. 
Congregationalism  in  particular  has  modeled  its  usages  on  those 
of  the  primitive  Church,  as  preserved  in  the  narrative  of  the  New- 
Testament.  Without  meaning  to  disparage  either  the  Bible  or 
Protestantism,  we  lay  down  the  truth  that  the  Christian-  Church 
is  founded  primarily  on  Jesus  Christ,  and  only  secondarily  on  the 
Bible. — Heermance:  Democracy  in  the  Church,  p.  1, 

Did  Jesus  Use  the  Word  Church?  It  would  be  strange 
if  Jesus  had  not  employed  a  word  so  familiar  and  so  con- 
venient. Yet  many  scholars  have  questioned  seriously 
whether  He  really  employed  the  term  in  any  of  his  teach- 
ing- concerning  the  organization  instituted  to  perpetuate 
his  work  in  the  world.  The  reason  for  this  question  is 
that  the  word  as  attributed  to  Him  is  found  but  twice, 
both  times  in  a  single  Gospel,  and  that  the  parallel  pas- 
sages in  the  other  Gospels  appear  to  be  complete  without 
it.  If  one  will  take  a  Harmony  of  the  Gospels  and  compare 
the  two  passages  (Matt.  16:13-21;  18:15-20)  with  their 
parallels  in  the  other  Gospels,  it  will  be  seen  that  this  argu- 
ment has  some  weight.  The  argument  is  not  sustained  by 
the  manuscripts,  however,  and  there  is  no  sufficient  reason 
for  eliminating  the  two  passages  in  which  the  word  Church 
is  attributed  to  Jesus.  These  two  passages  are,  however, 
so  incidental  and  so  isolated  that  we  must  not  read  into 
them  any  doctrine  not  manifestly  implied  in  them.  For 
the  most  part  we  must  learn  about  the  New  Testament 
Church  from  the  writings  and  methods  of  the  apostles. 

How  Does  the  New  Testament  Use  the  Terms  Church 
and  Churches?  The  use  of  the  terms  church  and  churches 
is  consistent  throughout  the  Acts  and  the  Epistles.  Where 
a  church  is  referred  to,  a  local  congregation  is  meant. 
Where  the  Church  is  referred  to,  it  embraces  the  whole 
body  of  Christians.  In  speaking  of  groups  of  churches,  the 
plural  is  consistently  used. 

Local  Establishment  of  Churches.    As  many  as  thirty-five  dif- 


THE   NEW   TESTAMENT   CHURCH  55 

ferent  churches  are — directly  or  indirectly — referred  to  by  name 
in  the  New  Testament,  in  addition  to  the  general  mention  of 
churches  "throughout  all  Judea,  and  Galilee,  and  Samaria"  (Acts 
9:31),  "through  Syria,  and  Cihcia"  (Acts  15:40-41),  the  "churches 
of  Asia"  (I  Cor.  16: 19),  etc.  When  we  consider  how  soon  after 
Christian  churches  began  to  be  formed  at  all  this  language  was 
used,  we  are  naturally  led  to  the  conclusion  that  the  apostles  and 
their  colaborers  were  accustomed  to  organize  a  church  in  every 
place  where  they  found  believers  enough  to  associate  themselves 
together  for  that  purpose.  This  inference  gains  force  when  we 
consider  that  some  of  these  churches  were  undoubtedly  suffi- 
ciently near  each  other  to  have  readily  permitted  their  fusion  into 
one,  if  it  had  not  been  thought  essential  to  include  in  a  single 
church  no  more  believers  than  could  regularly  and  conveniently 
unite  together  in  the  enjoyment  of  its  privileges  and  the  perform- 
ance of  its  duties.  For  example,  Cenchrea  was  the  port  and  sub- 
urb of  Corinth,  yet  there  were  churches  at  both  places.  Hierapolis 
was  visible  from  the  theater  of  Laodicea,  and  Colosse  was  near — 
some  think  directly  between — them;  while  Nymphas  (Col.  4:  15) 
appears  to  have  lived  in,  or  near,  Laodicea,  and  it  is  almost  certain 
that  Philemon  was  a  resident  of  Colosse.  So  that  there  is  the 
strongest  probability  that  these  five  churches — at  Hierapolis, 
Laodicea,  Colosse,  and  those  in  the  houses  of  Nymphas  and  Phil- 
emon— were  all  situated  within  a  very  few  miles,  probably  within 
eye-shot,  of  each  other. — Dexter:  Congregationalism,  p.  36. 

Growth  of  Organization.  It  was  a  long  time  before  this  con- 
ception of  the  one  Church  of  God,  lying  back  of  all  local  bodies 
of  Christians,  found  expression  in  organization.  It  was  long  be- 
fore the  Church  at  large  came  under  the  control  of  a  common 
authority  and  was  ruled  by  a  common  government.  During  the 
period  with  which  we  are  dealing,  and  for  some  generations 
thereafter,  the  unity  of  the  Church  universal  was  a  unity  of 
spirit  rather  than  of  body.  Christians  everywhere  were  bound 
together  by  a  common  faith,  a  common  hope,  and  a  common  pur- 
pose. They  were  conscious  of  belonging  to  the  elect  people  of 
God.  But  there  was  no  central  government,  and  no  compact 
which  obliged  one  part  to  submit  to  the  will  of  another  part,  or 
of  the  whole. — A.  C.  McGiffert:  The  Apostolic  Age,  p.  638. 

How  Was  the  Church   Related  to  the  Temple?     The 

relation  of  the  Church  to  the  temple  was  very  remote.  The 
Church  had  no  altar,  no  sacrifice,  no  priesthood,  no  ritual. 
Among  the  twelve  apostles  there  was  not  one  who  was  or 
ever  had  been  a  priest.  We  do  not  know  a  single  name 
in  the  New  Testament  of  a  man  who  had  a  share  in  deter- 
mining the  form  or  government  of  the  Church,  who  had 
received  sacerdotal  training.  Jesus  was  a  layman.  So 
were  Peter  and  James  and  John  and  Paul  and  Barnabas 
and  Timothy.    As  loyal  Jews  they  paid  visits  to  the  temple 


56  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

at  the  time  of  its  great  feasts,  but  they  possessed  neither 
experience  nor  inclination  to  pattern  the  early  church  after 
it,  either  in  government  or  worship. 

The  early  training  of  Jesus  was  in  the  local  synagogue, 
not  the  temple.  The  same  was  true  of  every  one  of  his 
disciples.  Even  Paul,  who  was  educated  in  Jerusalem,  had 
no  training  and  experience  in  the  temple  apart  from  an  ordi- 
nary Jew's  share  in  its  public  worship.  He  was  a  rabbi, 
a  teacher,  not  a  priest. 

What  Was  the  Relation  of  the  Church  to  the  Syna- 
gogue? The  Church  sustained  a  very  intimate  relation  to 
the  synagogue.  The  disciples  had  been  educated  in  the 
local  synagogues,  which  were  both  places  of  worship  and 
of  popular  education.  Jesus  was  accustomed  to  worship  in 
the  synagogue  in  Nazareth,  and  going  from  place  to  place 
He  taught  in  the  synagogues.  The  apostles  in  their  jour- 
neys did  the  same.  When  the  Church  began  to  establish 
separate  places  of  meeting,  their  forms  were  closely  pat- 
terned after  those  of  the  synagogue.  At  the  first  it  is  prob- 
able they  were  unconscious  of  any  essential  modification, 
except  for  the  added  elements  in  the  worship  of  Jesus. 

The  Synagogue.  Jesus  taught  in  the  synagogue,  an  institution 
of  which  we  first  hear  in  Psalm  74:  8,  although  it  is  probably  older; 
in  fact,  it  perhaps  originated  in  the  time  of  the  Exile.  Tiele  has 
accordingly  conjectured  that  the  Persian  mode  of  worship  was 
taken  as  the  model,  since  in  Persia  worship  was  not  limited  to 
one  spot,  but  could  be  held  in  various  places.  ("De  godsdienst 
van  Zarathrusta,"  1864,  283).  But  this  theory  is  by  no  means 
necessary,  as  Stave  has  shown  in  detail  ("Einfluss,"  132  seq.). 
The  synagogue  may  very  well  have  risen  merely  from  the  needs 
of  the  Jewish  people. — Clemen:  Christianity  and  Its  Non-Jewish 
Sources,  209. 

How  Churches  Began.  In  the  primitive  institutions  we  doubt- 
less see  the  result  of  the  Lord's  own  directions;  we  certainly  feel 
the  breath  of  his  Spirit.  And  yet  there  is  some  evidence  to  show 
that  the  first  communities  took  shape  on  the  model  of  the  syna- 
gogue, which  was  the  most  active  and  ubiquitous  institution  of 
Judaism.  If  the  qahal  was  the  pattern  of  the  church  in  the  larger 
sense,  the  synagogue  was  naturally  the  pattern  of  the  church  in 
the  narrower  and  local  sense.  In  the  LXX  ecclesia  and  synagogue 
are  almost  interchangeable  terms,  and,  as  we  saw,  they  were  some- 
times combined  in  the  form,  "the  synagogue  of  the  church."  Evi- 
dently where  the  converts  were  all  of  Jewish  origin  the  church 


THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH  57 

was  called  the  synagogue  (Jas.  2:2). — R.  F.  Horton:  The  Early 
Church,  p.  25. 

Some  Synagogues  Became  Churches.  It  appears  highly  prob- 
able, I  might  say  morally  certain,  that  wherever  a  Jewish  syna- 
gogue existed  that  was  brought — the  whole  or  the  chief  part  of 
it — to  embrace  the  Gospel,  the  apostles  did  not  then  so  much 
form  a  Christian  church  or  congregation  as  to  make  an  existing 
one  Christian,  by  introducing  the  Christian  sacraments  and  wor- 
ship, and  establishing  whatever  regulations  were  requisite  for  the 
newly  adopted  faith,  leaving  the  machinery  of  government  un- 
changed; the  rulers  of  synagogues,  elders  and  other  officers  being 
already  provided  in  the  existing  institutions. — Coleman:  Church 
Without  a  Bishop,  pp.  43,  44. 

Synagogue  and  Church.  As  the  Christian  church  rests  histori- 
cally on  the  Jewish  church,  so  Christian  worship  and  the  congre- 
gational organization  rest  on  that  of  the  synagogue  and  cannot  be 
well  understood  without  it. — Schaff:  History  Christian  Church,  i, 
p.  456. 

Synagogue  Congregational.  The  synagogue  worship  was  local, 
congregational,  weekly;  laymen,  women,  and  children  could  and 
did  meet  every  Sabbath  to  hear  the  law  and  the  prophets  and  to 
offer  praise  and  prayer.  A  building  suited  to  the  needs  of  the 
place  was  built.  The  worship  consisted  in  reading  the  law  and 
prophets,  the  nineteen  prayers,  the  chanting,  the  preaching  or  ex- 
pounding of  the  Scriptures,  and  the  amen  responded  by  the  people. 
"Any  Jew  of  age  might  get  up  to  read  the  lesson,  oflfer  prayer, 
and  address  the  congregation."  Each  synagogue  elected  its  own 
officers,  the  ruler  and  his  two  associates,  the  three  almoners,  or 
deacons,  and  the  council.  "Each  synagogue  formed  an  independ- 
ent republic,  but  kept  up  a  regular  correspondence  with  other 
synagogues.  It  was  also  a  civil  and  religious  court,  and  had  power 
to  excommunicate  and  to  scourge  offenders."  All  the  affairs  of  a 
synagogue,  worship  and  government,  were  under  the  exclusive 
control  of  laymen.  No  priest  had  any  part  in  them.  Each  syna- 
gogue was  independent  of  the  rest,  whether  taken  singly  or  col- 
lectively.— Ross:  Church-Kingdom,  p.  34. 

How  Was  the  Church  Related  to  Gentile  Organizations? 
The  significance  of  this  question  was  wholly  overlooked  or 
ignored  by  early  writers  on  church  polity,  who  assumed  a 
Judaic  origin  for  the  entire  organization  of  the  Apostolic 
Church.  To  a  large  extent  the  development  of  the  early 
Church  was  in  lands  outside  Palestine,  and  among  people 
who  had  little  knowledge  of  either  temple  or  synagogue. 
Studies  of  modern  writers  have  shown  that  the  primitive 
congregations  in  Gentile  lands  were  probably  much  influ- 
enced in  their  form  of  organization  by  the  guilds  and  other 
organizations  of  which  Christians  in  these  lands  had  pre- 
viously been  members. 


58  THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

The  Church  and  Gentile  Organizations.  It  is  almost  impossible 
to  suppose  that  these  Gentile  Christians,  who  had  no  previous 
experience  in  the  working  of  the  Jewish  eldership  system,  either 
in  its  developed  form  in  the  synagogue  presbyterate,  or  in  its 
primitive  seven  men  of  the  Hebrew  village  community,  could 
easily  understand  its  application  to  Christian  societies  of  which 
they  were  members.  The  probabilities  are  that  the  organization 
in  the  churches  owed  very  little  to  the  Jewish  eldership,  but  had 
special  roots  of  its  own,  and  that  we  are  directed  to  these  roots 
by  this  name  of  bishop  or  overseer.  This  distinction  did  not 
escape  the  keen  eye  of  Dr.  Lightfoot.  He  says  that  the  term 
bishop  is  applied  only  to  office-bearers  in  Gentile  or  Hellenic 
churches.  He  can  only  conjecture  how  it  came  into  use,  and  from 
what  organization  it  was  borrowed. 

"But,"  he  says,  "if  we  may  assume  that  the  directors  of  the 
religious  and  social  clubs  among  the  heathen  were  commonly 
called  bishops,  it  would  occur  naturally,  if  not  to  the  Gentile 
Christians  themselves  at  all  events  to  their  heathen  associates,  as 
a  fit  designation  for  the  presiding  members  of  the  new  society. 
The  infant  Church  of  Christ,  which  appeared  to  the  Jews  as  a 
synagogue,  would  be  regarded  by  the  heathen  as  a  confraternity." 

It  was  reserved  for  Dr.  Hatch  to  lead  us  far  beyond  the  halting 
statements  of  Dr.  Lightfoot.  He  has  made  use  of  the  stores  of 
information  accumulated  by  the  recent  study  of  ancient  inscrip- 
tions, and  has  collected  evidences  of  the  number  and  objects  of 
associations  or  confraternities  existing  under  the  empire.  There 
were  trade  guilds,  dramatic,  athletic,  and  burial  clubs.  Many 
cities  had  municipal  councils.  Above  all,  there  existed  religious 
associations  for  the  practice  of  the  rites  of  a  special  cult.  Just 
as  within  a  common  Judaism  sects  and  parties  had  their  separate 
synagogues,  so  under  the  universal  state  religion  of  the  Roman 
Empire  there  were  many  forms  of  pagan  religion  and  many  modes 
of  worship.  The  state  religion  had  its  colleges  of  priests,  its 
temples,  and  its  public  sacrifices;  those  private  religions  had  their 
confraternities.  The  Christians  were  always  exhorted  to  unite 
in  close  fellowship  with  each  other  in  a  fashion  not  without  ex- 
ternal resemblance  to  those  social  societies  or  religious  confra- 
ternities. A  large  portion  of  the  Gentile  Christian  converts  must 
have  once  belonged  to  such  associations,  and  were  familiar  with 
their  working.  When  we  find  that,  among  a  number  of  other 
terms  used,  the  general  meeting  of  an  association  was  called  an 
ccclesia  and  a  synod  and  that  the  officials  were  sometimes  called 
cpiscopi,  we  have  almost  as  strong  evidence  to  connect  the  organi- 
zation of  Gentile  Christian  communities  with  those  sodalitia,  munic- 
ipal councils,  and  confraternities  of  the  empire,  as  we  have  to 
establish  a  relation  between  the  organization  of  the  Jewish  Chris- 
tians with  the  synagogue  presbyterate. — T.  M.  Lindsay:  Article  in 
London  Contemporary  Review,  October,  1895. 

That  the  New  Testament  Church  inherited  anything 
from  fraternal,  municipal,  and  commercial  organizations 
among  the  Gentiles  was  hardly  suspected  by  earlier  author- 
ities in  church  polity.     Our  knowledge  on  this  subject  is 


THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH  59 

all  recent,  but  remarkably  suggestive.  The  Romans  had 
invented  that  artificial  person  known  in  law  as  the  corpo- 
ration. Roman  laws  sometimes  favored  and  at  other  times 
sought  to  repress  and  even  to  exterminate  corporations 
within  the  empire.  Beside  these  bodies  of  which  the  law 
took  notice  were  social  and  fraternal  clubs  and  labor 
unions,  as  we  now  would  call  them.  The  progress  of  Chris- 
tianity brought  it  more  and  more  into  contact  with  Gentile 
life.  As  Christianity  among  the  Jews  related  itself  to  and 
took  on  much  of  the  form  and  color  of  the  synagogue,  so 
Christianity  among  the  Gentiles,  who  had  no  synagogues, 
followed  more  or  less  closely  the  not  dissimilar  but  usually 
free  and  democratic  type  of  organization  of  these  guilds 
and  societies,  of  which  many  of  the  newly  converted  Chris- 
tians were  already  members. 

Churches  Evolved  from  Gentile  Guilds.  There  are  some,  no 
doubt,  who  will  think  that  to  account  for  the  organization  of  the 
Church  in  this  way  is  to  detract  from  the  nobility  of  its  birth,  or 
from  the  divinity  of  its  life.  There  are  some  who  can  see  a 
divinity  in  the  thunder-peal,  which  they  cannot  see  in  the  serenity 
of  a  summer  noon,  or  in  the  growth  of  the  flowers  of  spring. 
.  .  .  And  so,  it  may  be — nor  is  it  a  derogation  from  its  grandeur 
to  say  that  it  was — out  of  antecedent  and,  if  you  will,  lower  forms, 
out  of  existing  elements  of  human  institutions,  by  the  action  of 
existing  forces  of  human  society,  swayed  as  you  will  by  the  breath- 
ing of  the  Divine  Breath,  controlled  as  you  will  by  the  Providence 
which  holds  in  its  hand  the  wayward  wills  of  men  no  less  than 
the  courses  of  the  stars,  but  still  out  of  elements,  and  by  the 
action  of  forces,  analogous  to  those  which  have  resulted  in  other 
institutions  of  society,  and  other  forms  of  government,  came  into 
being  that  widest  and  strongest  and  most  enduring  of  institutions 
which  bears  the  sacred  name  of  the  Holy  Catholic  Church.  The 
divinity  which  clings  to  it  is  the  divinity  of  order. — Hatch:  Bampton 
Lectures,  pp.  19  et  scq. 

Is  the  Church,  the  Embodiment  of  a  Social  Ideal?    The 

spirit  of  the  individual  inhabits  and  expresses  itself  through 
a  body.  So,  also,  the  organic  social  life  of  those  who  have 
attained  to  like  precious  faith  in  Christ  embodies  and  ex- 
presses that  life.  The  Christian  does  not  and  cannot  realize 
the  full  meaning  of  his  religion  in  isolation.  Part,  but  not 
all,  of  the  Christian  life  belongs  to  the  individual  soul. 
Not  only  does  the  social  life  of  Christians  demand  or- 


60  THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

ganization,  but  such  organization  multiplies  the  power  and 
efficiency  of  Christians.  Carlyle  truly  said,  "A  man,  be  the 
heavens  praised,  is  sufficient  for  himself;  yet  were  ten  men, 
united  in  love,  capable  of  being  and  doing  what  ten  thou- 
sand singly  would  fail  in !" 

According  to  the  plain  teaching  of  the  New  Testament, 
as  interpreted  by  Congregationalists,  the  kingdom  of  God 
which  Jesus  established  is  a  divine  democracy.  The  law 
given  from  heaven  was  ratified  by  the  whole  body  of  the 
people.  The  Church  is  the  embodiment  of  the  social  ideal 
of  the  Gospel ;  and  that  ideal  is  not  something  secondary, 
imposed  upon  the  individual  life  by  force  of  authority,  but 
normally  belonging  to  it. 

It  is  increasingly  evident  that  the  early  Christians  inter- 
preted their  life  in  the  Gospel  socially  rather  than  in  terms 
of  isolated  personal  experience.  After  the  departure  of 
Jesus  they  found  themselves  bereft  indeed  but  not  isolated. 
With  no  form  of  prescribed  organization,  they  yet  possessed 
a  certain  corporate  unity.  Their  experiences  were  not 
wholly  personal.  To  a  large  degree  they  were  experiences 
held  in  common  as  members  of  a  beloved  community. 
Membership  in  the  church  was  all  but  inevitable  to  them 
with  their  views  and  experiences. 

The  Christian  in  the  Church.  The  Christian  must  be  a  member 
of  Christendom,  of  the  ecclesia,  of  the  Church.  Hence  the  ques- 
tion: Where  is  the  ecclesia?  The  apostolic  age  answered  the 
question  thus:  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in 
Christ's  name,  there  is  the  ecclesia,  the  church.  For  Christ  has 
said,  "Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name, 
there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them"  (Matt.  18:20).  The  Lord  is 
risen  indeed!  He  is  alive  for  evermore!  That  is  the  victorious 
creed  of  Christendom.  The  Lord  is  in  the  midst  of  them  who 
believe  on  Him,  in  his  divine  omnipresence,  He  that  is,  and  was, 
and  is  to  come,  the  Almighty.  Therefore  He  is  and  works  every- 
where wheresoever  two  or  three  are  gathered  together  in  his 
name.  Where  Christ  is  there  is  the  Church.  The  Church  appears 
and  works  in  every  congregation  of  believers. — Rudolf  Sohm:  Out- 
lines of  Church  History,  p.  Z2. 

Christ  and  the  Church.  The  common  sense  of  the  Christian 
Church  had  three  problems  to  solve.  First:  It  was  loyal  to  the 
universal  spiritual  community;  and  upon  this  loyalty,  according  to 
its  view,  salvation  depended.  But  this  universal  community  must 
be    something    concrete    and    practically    efficacious.     Hence    the 


THE   NEW   TESTAMENT   CHURCH  61 

visible  Church  had  to  be  organized  as  the  appearance  on  earth  of 
God's  kingdom.  For  what  the  parables  had  life  mysterious  about 
the  object  and  the  life  of  love,  an  authoritative  interpretation,  valid 
for  believers  of  those  times,  must  be  found,  and  was  found  in  the 
visible  Church. 

Secondly,  The  life,  the  unity,  the  spirit  of  the  Church  had 
meanwhile  to  be  identified  with  the  person  and  with  the  spirit  of 
the  risen  and  ascended  Lord,  whom  the  visions  of  the  first  disciples 
had  made  henceforth  a  central  fact  in  the  belief  of  the  Church. 

The  supernatural  being  whose  body  was  now  the  Church, 
whose  spirit  was  thus  identified  with  the  will  and  with  the  mind 
of  a  community,  had  once,  as  man,  walked  the  earth,  had  really 
suflFered  and  died.  But  since  He  had  risen  and  ascended,  hence- 
forth— precisely  because  He  was  as  the  spirit  whose  body  was 
this  community,  the  Church — He  was  divine.  Such  was  the  essen- 
tial article  of  the  new  faith. — Royce:  The  Problem  of  Christianity, 
Vol.  I,  pp.  201,  202. 

How   Were   the   New   Testament   Churches    Founded? 

The  New^  Testament  churches  were  founded  by  the  coming 
together  of  the  followers  of  Christ  in  local  communities,  in 
which  these  scattered  disciples  were  gathered.  Sometimes 
the  formation  of  a  church  was  preceded  by  the  preaching  of 
an  apostle  or  by  the  visit  of  other  disciples  from  Jerusalem, 
Sometimes  Christians,  fleeing  from  persecution,  gathered 
about  them  other  Christians  in  the  places  where  they  found 
themselves,  and  began  their  small  and  obscure  assemblies 
without  definite  leadership.  In  some  instances,  a  strong 
church  came  into  being  without  the  recorded  visit  or  appar- 
ent knowledge  of  any  member  of  the  apostolic  group.  The 
church  in  Antioch  appears  to  have  been  such  a  church,  and 
as  thus  established,  before  it  received  formal  recognition  in 
Jerusalem,  it  ordained  its  own  missionaries  to  preach  the 
gospel  in  other  places  (Acts  13:1-3).  While  this  church 
submitted  important  questions  to  councils  representative 
of  the  churches,  including  that  in  Jerusalem,  it  was  in  no 
way  subject  to  that  or  to  any  other  outside  organization. 
The  church  at  Antioch  at  this  time  was  larger,  stronger, 
and  more  important  to  the  future  of  Christianity  than  that 
of  Jerusalem  or  any  other  one  church. 

With  What  Organization  Was  the  Church  Established? 
So  far  as  the  Christian  Church  is  authorized  or  implied  in 
the  words  of  Jesus,  the  organization  appears  exceedingly 


62  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

simple  and  flexible.  His  one  definite  word  concerning  gov- 
ernment indicates  that  final  authority  rested  with  the  local 
congregation.  "If  he  will  not  hear  the  church,  let  him  be 
unto  thee  as  a  heathen  man  and  a  publican"  (Matt.  i8:  17). 

The  Universal  Church.  We  maist  constantlie  belief  that  God 
preservit,  instructit,  multiplait,  honourit,  decorirt  and  frome  death 
callit  to  lyfe  His  Kirk  in  all  aiges,  fra  Adam  till  the  coming  of 
Chryst  Jesus  in  the  flesche. — John  Knox:  Works,  ii,  pp.  98,  99. 

The  Local  Chiirch.  The  right  to  enact  their  laws,  and  the 
entire  government  of  the  church,  was  voted  in  each  individual 
association  of  which  the  church  was  composed. — Allgemeine  Kirche 
Zeitung,  1833,  cited  in  Coleman's  Church  Without  a  Bishop,  p.  25. 

No  Central  Government.  There  is  nothing  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment to  suggest  that  the  apostles  intended  that  separate  Christian 
assemblies  should  be  drawn  into  a  larger  ecclesiastical  organiza- 
tion under  a  central  government.  The  church  at  Jerusalem  had 
no  control  over  the  church  at  Antioch;  nor  were  Jerusalem  and 
Antioch  under  the  government  of  any  supreme  ecclesiastical  au- 
thority. The  churches  which  Paul  and  Barnabas  founded  in  Lyca- 
onia,  Pisidia,  and  Pamphilia  on  their  first  missionary  journey  were 
independent  of  the  church  at  Antioch  and  of  each  other.  In  every 
city  there  was  a  church,  and  in  every  church  there  were  elders 
(Acts  14: 21-23),  but  the  narrative  of  Luke  gives  the  impression 
that  every  church  stood  apart.  No  attempt  was  made  to  bring 
them  into  any  ecclesiastical  confederation  or  to  place  them  under 
a  common  government.  In  the  account  of  Paul's  second  visit  to 
this  part  of  Asia  Minor  we  are  told  that  the  "churches" — not  "the 
church" — "were  strengthened  in  the  faith  and  increased  in  num- 
bers daily"  (Acts  16:  5).  They  were  standing  apart  still,  and  Paul 
did  nothing  to  draw  them  together. — Dale:  Cong.  Manual,  p.  71. 

Did  the  Apostles  Rule  the  Churches?  The  apostles 
gave  suggestions  and  directions,  but  government  was  by 
the  local  church.  Not  only  is  it  true  that  the  apostles  did 
not  assume  ecclesiastical  authority,  but  it  is  apparent  that 
there  were  those  who  would  have  resented  it  if  it  had  been 
assumed.  When  Paul  was  constrained  to  give  the  grounds 
of  his  apostleship,  he  caused  it  to  be  distinctly  understood 
that  he  acknowledged  no  ecclesiastical  authority  for  his 
ministry.  In  his  epistle  to  the  Galatians  he  declares  this 
truth  with  unmistakable  emphasis  (Gal.  1:15-17). 

Later,  when  Paul  went  to  Jerusalem,  he  declares  that 
those  who  were  in  positions  of  influence  there  had  no 
authority  over  him.  He  names  James,  Peter  and  John  as 
those  "who  seemed  to  be  pillars,"  but  he  says,  "whatsoever 


THE    NEW   TESTAMENT   CHURCH  63 

they  were,  it  maketh  no  matter  to  me;  God  respecteth  no 
man's  person."  The  liberty  which  Paul  claimed  for  him- 
self in  this  matter,  he  claimed  for  his  fellow  Christians  also. 
That  liberty  involved  complete  freedom  from  ecclesiastical 
tyranny,  even  though  it  had  been  that  of  the  original  apos- 
tles of  Christ.  Still  further,  when  controversies  arose,  as 
one  soon  arose  concerning  Peter's  fellowship  with  Gentiles, 
Peter  claimed  no  authority  for  himself  or  for  the  apostles 
beyond  that  of  his  brethren  in  the  church,  but  defended  his  C — 
conduct  before  the  apostles  and  the  brethren  (Acts  ii:  l). 
The  whole  body  joined  in  the  expression  of  approval  of 
that  which  Peter  had  done. 

The  sending  forth  of  representatives  from  one  church 
to  another  was  not  done  by  the  apostles  but  by  the  church, 
as  is  shown  in  the  mission  of  Barnabas  from  the  church  at 
Jerusalem  to  that  at  Antioch  (Acts  11:32). 

Our  most  complete  illustration  of  the  way  in  which  the 
early  Church  settled  any  great  question  of  concern  to  the  ^_^ 
whole  Christian  body  is  given  to  us  in  Acts  15,  where 
representatives  from  various  churches  gathered  at  Jeru- 
salem to  consider  the  new  questions  which  had  arisen  out 
of  the  conversion  of  Gentiles  and  the  organization  of 
churches  composed  of  other  than  Jewish  Christians.  This 
chapter  and  the  account  which  Paul  gives  of  the  same  inci- 
dent in  his  epistle  to  the  Galatians  furnish  a  complete  refu- 
tation of  any  claim  that  the  apostles  attempted  to  exercise 
ecclesiastical  authority,  or  that  such  authority  would  have 
been  acknowledged  by  the  churches  (Acts  15;  Galatians  2). 

John  Milton's  Assertion.  John  Milton  shows  conclusively  that 
the  apostles  could  not  possibly  have  been  bishops  by  office,  i.  e. 
moderators  or  governors  of  the  churches,  and  so  that  modern 
diocesan  bishops  are  no  successors  of  the  apostles. — Eikonoklatcs, 
p.  135. 

Apostles  Not  Officers  in  Local  Church.  Though  they  had  cer- 
tain duties  to  perform,  yet  they  were  not  officers  in  any  churches. — 
Leonard  Bacon:  Church  Manual,  p.  36. 

The  Apostles  Not  Ecclesiastical  Rulers.  They  had  bishoprics, 
according  to  the  Scriptures;  but  these  had  little  or  no  analogy  to 
the  supposed  duties  and  prerogatives  of  modern  prelates. — Cum- 
mings:  Cong.  Diet.,  Art.  Apostles. 


^- 


64  THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Had  the  Apostolic  Church  a  Hierarchy?  The  Apostolic 
Church  had  no  hierarchy ;  it  had  no  priesthood,  no  sacrifice, 
it  recognized  no  ecclesiastical  authority  above  the  local 
church.  All  hierarchal  functions  that  have  manifested 
themselves  in  the  Church  originated  after  the  time  of  the 
apostles  and  in  contravention  of  the  apostolic  method  and 
spirit.  The  only  priests  mentioned  in  the  New  Testament 
are  the  Jewish  priests,  and  they  are  regarded  with  little 
favor;  Jesus,  the  great  High  Priest  who  offered  a  complete 
and  final  sacrifice  (Hebrews  3:1),  and  the  whole  company 
of  believers  (Rev.  1:6;  20:6). 

No  Sacerdotal  System.  Above  all,  it  has  no  sacerdotal  system. 
It  interposes  no  sacrificial  tribe  or  class  between  God  and  man, 
by  whose  intervention  alone  God  is  reconciled  and  man  forgiven. 
Each  individual  member  holds  personal  communion  with  the 
divine  head. — Bishop  Lightfoot  on  the  Ministry,  p.  179. 

How  Were  the  New  Testament  Churches  Governed? 
The  New  Testament  contains  no  complete  manual  for 
church  government.  The  references  to  government  are 
incidental,  and  are  found  scattered  through  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  and  the  Epistles,  particularly  those  of  Paul. 
These  references,  however,  are  significant,  both  for  what 
they  state  and  what  they  imply. 

The  first  ofiicial  act  of  the  Church  as  a  body  was  that 
of  selecting  a  successor  to  Judas.  The  new  apostle  was 
not  chosen  by  his  fellow  apostles,  acting  separate  and  apart 
from  the  Church.  The  Apostolic  College  was  not  a  self- 
perpetuating  body.  The  whole  body  of  the  church,  to  the 
number  of  120,  were  gathered  together,  and  Peter  laid  the 
matter  before  the  congregation,  who  selected  two  candi- 
dates as  the  expression  of  the  preference  of  the  whole  body 
of  that  local  church  and  prayed  for  divine  guidance  in  the 
choice  of  one  of  these  two  (Acts  i :  15-26). 

The  next  occasion  where  the  Church  is  known  to  have 
acted  in  the  choice  of  officers  was  that  of  the  election  of 
deacons.  Here  again  the  apostles  called  the  entire  congre- 
gation of  the  disciples  together,  and  did  not  themselves 
assume  the  right  either  to  compel  the  appointment  of  a 


THE    NEW   TESTAMENT    CHURCH  65 

new  officiary,  or  to  determine  who  the  new  officers  should 
be,  but  laid  before  the  congregation  the  expediency  of  the 
matter,  and  charged  the  entire  body  with  the  responsibility 
of  choosing  the  deacons  (Acts  6:  1-6). 

The  story  of  the  first  preaching  of  the  Gospel  outside 
of  Jerusalem  is  significant  in  the  fact  of  its  entire  silence 
as  to  any  centralization  of  authority  in  the  apostles  or  any 
group  of  their  successors.  Christian  men  went  everywhere 
preaching  the  Gospel,  and  wherever  they  went  little  groups 
of  believers  sprang  up  who  called  themselves  of  "the  way." 
The  first  name  of  Christianity  was  really  "the  Road"  (Acts 
19:9,  23;  24:14,  22;  16:17;  18:26).  The  disciples  first 
gained  recognition  in  the  outer  world  as  a  body  distinct 
from  Judaism  and  entitled  to  a  name,  in  Antioch  (Acts 
11:26).  Some  of  their  little  detached  communities,  espe- 
cially in  the  larger  towns,  were  visited  occasionally  by  a 
Christian  leader  of  distinction,  who  gave  advice  on  local 
problems,  but  they  governed  themselves.  But  in  sympathy 
they  counted  themselves  members  of  a  common  com- 
munion. 

Each  Congregation  a  Church.  The  New  Testament,  looking  at 
the  principle  of  the  new  life,  and  the  high  calling  of  the  Christian, 
styles  all  believers  brethren,  saints,  a  spiritual  temple,  a  peculiar 
people,  a  holy  and  royal  priesthood.  It  is  remarkable  that  Peter 
in  particular  should  apply  the  term  clerus  not  to  the  ministerial 
order  as  distinct  from  the  laity,  but  to  the  community;  thus  regard- 
ing every  Christian  congregation  as  a  spiritual  tribe  of  Levi,  a 
peculiar  people,  holy  to  the  Lord. — Schaff:  Church  History,  i,  486. 

What  Were  the  Officers  of  the  Apostolic  Church?  The 
officers  of  the  Apostolic  Church  were  bishops  and  deacons. 
The  bishops  were  also  called  elders  (presbyters)  or  pastors 
(shepherds).  Only  these  two  kinds  of  permanent  offices 
are  known  in  the  New  Testament.  The  lists  of  diversified 
"gifts"  in  I  Corinthians  12:28-31  and  Ephesians  4:11-12 
are  not  catalogues  of  distinct  and  permanent  offices.  There 
is  no  scriptural  evidence  of  a  fixed  gulf  between  elders  and 
bishops,  nor  any  reason  to  believe  that  deacons  constituted 
a  lower  order  of  the  clergy. 

Two  Kinds  of  Officers.     It  remaineth  therefore,  that  the  ordi- 


66  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

nary  Officers  of  the  Church  which  are  to  continue  to  the  comming 
of  Christ  Jesus,  are  either  Elders  (whom  the  Apostles  calleth  also 
Bishops,  Titus  1:5,  7;  Acts  20:17-28)  or  Deacons.— /o/tw  Cotton: 
Way  of  the  Churches,  p.  10. 

Bishops  and  Deacons.  When  we  look  at  the  settled  state  of 
the  churches,  after  charisms  had  generally  ceased — when  the  minds 
of  Christians  were  no  longer  elevated  and  enlightened  by  extraor- 
dinary influences  of  the  Spirit — when  all  that  remained  of  the 
gifted  brethren  appeared  in  the  elders,  men  favored  with  less  re- 
markable manifestations;  we  shall  find  no  other  office-bearers  be- 
sides them,  than  those  attending  to  the  secular  aflfairs.  Bishops 
and  deacons  were  intended  to  continue  in  the  churches  of  Christ; 
other  offices  were  temporary. — Davidson:  Ecclesiastical  Polity  of 
the  New  Testament,  p.  153. 

Pastors  Were  Bishops.  Finding  the  first  Epistle  to  Timothy 
passing  from  the  Directions  for  the  good  Conduct  of  Bishops, 
immediately  to  those  for  that  of  Deacons,  without  any  mention  of 
Presbyters  distinct  from  them,  is  it  not  as  evident  as  a  Noonday 
Sun  can  make  any  thing  in  the  world  unto  us,  that  there  are  only 
those  Two  Ordinary  Officers  instituted  by  the  Lord  for  the  Service 
of  His  Churches,  and  that  there  is  no  Institution  for  any  other 
Bishops,  but  the  Pastors  of  Particular  Congregations? — Cotton 
Mather:   Some  Seasonable  Inquiries   (A.  D.  1723),  p.  2. 

Bishops  the  Same  as  Elders.  All  the  distinction  we  can  admit 
between  bishops  and  presbyters  then,  is  that  the  latter  was  par- 
ticularly the  name  of  dignity,  the  former  the  name  designating 
the  function,  or  particular  sphere  of  activity.  .  .  .  Besides  these, 
we  find  only  one  other  church  office  in  the  apostolic  age — that  of 
deacons. — Meander:  History  of  the  Christian  Church,  Vol.  I,  pp. 
186,  188. 

A  Pope's  Testimony.  We  consider  the  eldership  and  the 
deaconship  as  the  sacred  orders.  Here  indeed  are  all  that  the 
primitive  church  had.  For  these  alone  have  we  apostolic  author- 
ity.— Urban  I. 

Are  We  Sure  of  the  Identity  of  Bishops  and  Presbyters? 

Congregationalists  are  certain  of  this  identity  and  so  are 
the  scholars  of  other  denominations. 

Bishops  and  Presbyters.  The  public  functions  of  religion  were 
solely  intrusted  to  the  established  ministers  of  the  Church,  the 
bishops  and  the  presbyters;  two  appellations  which,  in  their  first 
origin,  appear  to  have  distinguished  the  same  office,  and  the  same 
order  of  persons.  The  name  of  presbyter  was  expressive  of  their 
age,  or  rather  of  their  gravity  and  wisdom.  The  title  of  bishop 
denoted  their  inspection  over  the  faith  and  manners  of  Christians 
who  were  committed  to  their  pastoral  care. — Gibbon:  Decline  and 
Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire. 

Bishop  and  Presbyter  Identical.  The  scanty  and  unsatisfactory 
evidence  of  the  first  century  points  to  the  practical  permanence 
of  the  episcopos  as  already  usual,  but  is  inconsistent  with  the  idea 
that  the  episcopos  was  considered  as  separate  from  his  co-presbyters, 


THE    NEW   TESTAMENT    CHURCH  67 

as  he  continued  for  centuries  to  call  them.  He  was  only  a  pres- 
byter on  whom  certain  duties  had  been  imposed. — Ramsay:  Church 
in  the  Roman  Empire,  p.  368. 

From  "The  Morning  Star  of  the  Reformation."  I  boldly  assert 
one  thing,  namely,  that  in  the  primitive  church,  or  in  the  time  of 
Paul,  two  orders  of  the  clergy  were  sufficient;  that  is,  a  priest  and 
a  deacon.  In  like  manner  I  maintain  that  in  the  time  of  Paul, 
presbyter  and  bishop  were  names  of  the  same  office.  All  other 
degrees  and  orders  have  their  origin  in  the  pride  of  Caesar. — John 
Wycklif  (1324-1384). 

Martin  Luther's  Testimony.  It  is  proved  that  bishop  and 
presbyter  are  the  same;  therefore  by  divine  law,  the  Pope  is 
neither  superior  to  the  bishop  nor  the  bishop  superior  to  the 
presbyters. — Lutheri  Opera,  i,  p.  279. 

John  Calvin's  Testimony.  In  giving  the  name  of  bishops, 
presbyters  and  pastors  indiscriminately  to  those  who  govern 
churches,  I  have  done  it  on  the  authority  of  Scripture,  which  uses 
the  words  as  synonymous. — Institutes,  iii,  p.  64. 

An  Eminent  Episcopalian.  The  English  version  of  Acts  20:28 
has  hardly  dealt  fairly  with  the  sacred  text  in  rendering  episcopous 
overseers;  whereas  it  ought  there,  as  in  all  other  places,  to  have 
been  bishops,  that  the  fact  that  elders  and  bishops  having  been 
apostolically  synonymous  might  be  apparent  to  the  ordinary  Eng- 
lish reader,  which  now  it  is  not. — Dean  Alford:  Commentary,  Vol. 
II,  p.  250. 

Bishops  and  Presbyters.  The  weight  of  evidence  has  rendered 
practically  indisputable  the  identity  of  the  primitive  bishops  and 
presbyters;  that,  in  the  course  of  the  second  century,  the  bishop 
came  to  stand  above  the  rest  of  the  presbyters  of  the  local  church; 
that  "the  episcopate  grew  by  the  force  of  circumstances,  in  the 
order  of  Providence,  to  satisfy  a  felt  want";  that  "the  supremacy 
of  the  episcopate  was  the  result  of  the  struggle  with  Gnosticism"; 
that  "dioceses  in  the  later  sense  of  the  term  did  not  yet  exist"  in 
the  fourth  century;  and  that  the  first  diocese  was  that  of  which 
Alexandria  was  the  center. — Vice-Prinipal  Edwin  Hatch:  Origin  of 
Early  Christian  Churches,  pp.  38,  82,  83,  98,  99,  215,  194,  195. 

Clement  of  Rome.  The  interchangeable  use  of  bishop  and 
presbyter  is  illustrated  in  many  of  the  Fathers,  as  in  Clement  of 
Rome,  who,  writing  to  protest  against  the  summary  removal  of 
certain  presbyters  in  the  church  at  Corinth,  declares  that  "those 
presbyters  who  finished  their  course  before  now  are  blessed," 
that  is,  for  having  died  before  they  lived  to  suffer  this  injustice, 
and  describes  the  honor  of  the  office  of  those  presbyters  in  ex- 
tended discussions  like  this: 

Our  apostles  know  also  that  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
that  there  would  be  strife  for  the  office  of  bishop.  For  this  cause, 
therefore,  since  they  had  received  perfect  foreknowledge,  they 
appointed  those  who  have  been  already  mentioned.  .  .  .  We 
consider  therefore  that  it  is  not  just  to  remove  from  their  ministry 
those  who  were  appointed  by  them,  or  later  on  by  other  eminent 
men  with  the  consent  of  the  whole  church,  and  have  ministered 
to  the  flock  of  Christ  without  blame,  humbly,  peacefully  and  dis- 


68  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

interestedly.  .  .  .  For  our  sin  is  not  small  if  we  eject  from 
the  episcopate  those  who  have  blamelessly  and  holily  offered  its 

sacrifices. Clement    i,    44.      Continuing    the    argument    through 

many  succeeding  sections  of  his  letter  he  also  speaks  of  the 
attempt  to  remove  these  "bishops"  as  "a  revolt  against  the  pres- 
byters" (47);  and  exhorts  "Let  the  flock  of  Christ  be  at  peace 
along  with  the  appointed  presbyters"  (54);  and  again  (in  57),  "Do 
ye  who  began  this  sedition  submit  yourselves  to  the  presbyters." 
The  apostles  received  the  Gospel  from  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 
Jesus  the  Christ  was  sent  from  God.  The  Christ  therefore  is  from 
God,  and  the  apostles  from  the  Christ.  .  .  .  They  preached 
from  district  to  district,  and  they  appointed  their  first  converts, 
testing  them  by  the  Spirit,  to  be  bishops  and  deacons  to  the  future 
believers.  And  this  was  no  new  method,  for  many  years  before 
had  bishops  and  deacons  been  written  of;  for  the  Scripture  saith, 
"I  will  establish  their  bishops  in  righteousness,  and  their  deacons 
in  <  faith." — Clement  of  Rome,  i,  42. 

Did  Every  Church  Have  a  Bishop  and  Also  Presbyters? 

At  first  no  one  church  appears  to  have  had  a  single  officer 
called  either  presbyter  or  bishop ;  rather  there  were  groups 
of  such  men  in  each  of  the  larger  churches,  sometimes 
called  by  the  one  name,  sometimes  by  the  other,  sometimes 
by  both  interchangeably,  but  in  no  case  did  these  bishops 
or  presbyters  exercise  individual  dominion  over  a  group  of 
churches.  Each  group  belonged  to  a  single  church  and  w^as 
chosen  out  of  its  own  membership. 

The  apostles  and  the  itinerant  evangelists  occupied  a 
somewhat  unique  position  by  reason  of  their  travels  among 
the  churches,  but  officially  they  were  merely  elders.  Peter 
did  not  say,  ''The  elders  among  you  I  exhort,  being  over 
you  as  a  bishop,"  but  "The  elders  among  you  I  exhort, 
who  also  am  an  elder."  Paul's  instruction  to  Timothy  and 
Titus  was  not  to  ordain  a  bishop  in  every  district,  but  to 
ordain  bishops  in  every  city,  that  is,  to  assist  the  local 
church  in  finding  competent  leaders. 

Gradually,  however,  the  two  names  came  to  stand  for 
a  somewhat  different  function.  In  a  local  presbytery  or 
group  of  elders  some  one  would  be  chosen  to  preside  or  to 
represent  the  church  in  matters  of  particular  importance, 
and  in  time  this  officer  came  to  be  spoken  of  as  the  episcopos. 
He  did  not  cease  to  be  a  presbyter,  nor  did  this  special 
function  that  came  to  be  implied  in  the  title  exalt  him  above 


THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    CHURCH  69 

his   fellow   presbyters.      He   was   the   presiding  presbyter, 
primus  inter  pares. 

Why  Were  There  Two  Titles  for  One  Office?  Such 
knowledge  as  has  been  available  toward  an  answer  to  this 
question  is  relatively  recent.  Apparently  the  two  titles 
grew  up  somewhat  independently.  The  title  episcopos 
appears  to  have  come  first  into  use  in  Gentile  churches, 
where  it  was  derived  from  the  familiar  title  of  the  presid- 
ing officer  in  secular  organizations.  It  has  been  common 
to  speak  of  James,  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  as  bishop  of 
Jerusalem,  but  we  have  no  reason  to  think  that  the  title 
bishop  was  used  in  Jerusalem  in  the  first  beginnings  of  the 
Church.  Elder  was  the  more  familiar  term  in  the  churches 
that  grew  out  of  Judaism.  It  meant  primarily  an  aged 
man,  just  as  senator  does,  but  had  come  to  be  applied  to 
men  of  experience  called  into  positions  of  responsibility 
and  counsel,  and  was  a  term  frequently  used  in  Jewish  life. 
The  Council  at  Jerusalem  described  in  Acts  15  provided 
for  a  difference  in  the  standards  of  Gentile  and  Jewish 
churches.  While  the  differences  agreed  upon  related 
wholly  to  the  extent  of  their  observance  of  the  Jewish  law, 
it  would  have  been  in  nowise  strange  if  those  differences 
had  been  carried  also  into  their  forms  of  organization. 
There  is  not  the  slightest  reason  to  suppose  that  any  of  the 
apostles  regarded  the  form  of  organization  as  of  such  prime 
importance  that  all  churches  must  be  organized  on  an 
identical  basis.  The  local  churches  were  independent,  self- 
governing  bodies,  and  their  forms  and  methods  were  more 
or  less  flexible,  but  there  was  an  important  system  of  inter- 
course among  the  early  churches.  Not  only  did  persecu- 
tion drive  many  of  the  early  Christians  from  Jerusalem,  but 
the  conditions  of  Jewish  life  had  already  scattered  large 
numbers  of  the  Jews,  and  continued  to  scatter  Jewish 
Christians,  through  all  parts  of  the  Roman  Empire. 
Wherever  the  first  preachers  of  Christianity  went  they  were 
likely  to  find  little  companies  of  Jewish  people,  generally 
with  a  synagogue,  with  its  free  and  democratic  worship 


70  THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

and  government,  subject  to  no  system  of  external  or  cen- 
tralized supervision  and  control.  The  synagogues  them- 
selves differed  more  or  less,  and  the  churches  that  in  many 
cases  grew  out  of  them  exhibited  certain  characteristics  of 
individuality,  but  as  the  churches  detached  themselves  from 
the  synagogues  or  grew  up  as  they  did  in  some  cases  with 
no  antecedent  relation  to  particular  synagogues,  they  de- 
veloped a  character  of  their  own,  and  a  tendency  toward 
uniformity  which  was  stimulated  by  rather  frequent  visits 
from  traveling  evangelists  and  sometimes  from  apostles. 
While  none  of  these  men  assumed  the  control  of  local 
churches,  their  advice  was  naturally  held  in  somewhat  high 
regard.  That  it  carried  with  it  no  authority  is  sometimes 
almost  painfully  evident,  but  it  was  a  counterbalancing 
check  on  excessive  individuality  in  church  organization  and 
life. 

Bishop  Not   Originally  an  Ecclesiastical   Officer.     The  better 

knowledge  of  the  primitive  church  which  modern  study  of  Chris- 
tian institutions  has  brought  to  us,  according  to  Professor  Hatch 
in  his  Bampton  Lectures,  is  showing  that  the  "historic  episcopacy" 
was  not  originally  the  ecclesiastical  institution  that  is  claimed  for 
it,  but  was  simply  an  office  in  the  primitive  church,  the  bishop 
being  in  the  beginning  financial  administrator  or  administrators 
of  the  Christian  societies.  "There  was  a  general  tendency,"  says 
Professor  Hatch,  "in  the  early  centuries  of  the  Christian  era, 
toward  the  formation  of  associations,  especially  of  religious  asso- 
ciations. It  was  consequently  natural  that  the  early  converts  to 
Christianity  should  combine  together.  It  was  a  time  of  great 
social  strain,  and  the  pressure  of  poverty  made  almsgiving  in  these 
societies  a  primary  duty.  The  administrative  officers,  by  whom 
funds  were  received  and  alms  dispensed,  were  called  epimelatai  or 
episcopoi,  the  last  named  of  which  was  adopted  by  the  correspond- 
ing officers  of  the  Christian  societies."  Originally  this  was  the 
name  of  a  body  of  officers,  but  in  time  came  to  be  in  the  Christian 
societies  the  title  of  a  single  officer,  the  episcopos.  "This  was  due," 
says  Professor  Hatch,  "to  the  fact  that  the  offerings  of  the  early 
Christians  were  made  publicly  to  the  president  in  the  assembly, 
who  was  also  primarily  responsible  for  their  distribution."  The 
importance  of  the  functions  of  the  president  as  chief  administrator 
increased  largely  as  the  Christian  societies  grew.  The  prelatical 
character  of  the  episcopos  or  bishop  was  of  gradual  development. — 
Canon  Henson:  Westminster  Sermons,  1910. 

James  Not  a  Bishop.  That  it  was  Jesus'  relations  who  were 
pushed  to  the  front  cannot  be  merely  the  consequence  of  the  high 
esteem  in  which  James  "the  Just"  was  held.  The  new  constitution 
of  the  Church  in  Jerusalem,  with  James  at  the  head,  and  pres- 


THE   NEW   TESTAMENT   CHURCH 71 

bytcrs,  possibly  twelve  (see  Zahn,  p.  297  note)  must  be  understood 
in  such  a  way  that  James  corresponds  to  the  high  priest  (see 
Hegesippus  in  Eusebius  ii,  23,  26,  "he  alone  was  permitted  to  enter 
into  the  holy  place")  and  the  presbyters  to  the  Sanhedrin  (see 
Schurer,  Jewish  People  in  the  Time  of  Christ,  Div.  I,  Vol.  I,  pp. 
165  et  seq.,  149  et  seq.).  Perhaps  the  other  Christian  communities 
in  Palestine  already  possessed  an  organization  based  on  elders,  and 
this  may  have  exercised  some  influence  on  Jerusalem.  But  James, 
as  chief  ruler,  had  a  unique  position  above  all  the  other  presbyters. 
His  throne  was  still  shown  in  the  time  of  Eusebius  (Hist.  Eccl., 
vii,  19)  and  even  the  Gentile-Christian  tradition,  not  the  Jewish- 
Christian  tradition  only,  mentions  him  as  first  Bishop  of  Jerusalem, 
appointed  by  Christ  and  the  apostles.  But  that  James  bore  the 
title  "bishop"  is  open  to  strong  doubt,  since  the  title  does  not 
occur  within  Judaism. — Harnack:  Const,  and  Law  of  Church,  pp. 
34-35. 

What  Is  the  Historic  Episcopate?  Into  discussions  of 
the  reunion  of  Christendom  come  frequent  references  to 
"the  historic  episcopate."  The  fourth  condition  of  reunion 
as  offered  by  the  Lambeth  Quadrilateral  was  "the  historic 
episcopate  locally  adapted."  Just  how  it  was  to  be  locally 
adapted  was  a  question  difficult  to  determine.  In  the  Angli- 
can Church  the  historic  episcopate  is  vested  in  bishops  ele- 
vated into  a  rank  above  other  clergy;  in  Presbyterian  and 
Congregational  churches  the  earlier  conception  of  the 
episcopate  as  vested  in  the  local  pastorate  obtains. 

That  in  the  New  Testament  the  bishop  and  the  elder 
are  one  and  the  same  is  self-evident,  and  all  but  universally 
conceded.  But  modern  study  of  the  development  of  New 
Testament  origins  shows  us  that  while  the  term  elder  was 
distinctly  Jewish,  that  of  bishop  was  as  definitely  Gentile. 
Not  only  did  not  Jesus  use  the  word  bishop,  so  far  as  we 
know,  but  it  is  entirely  likely  that  He  never  heard  it  used. 
The  term  came  into  the  early  Church  by  way  of  its  Gentile 
organizations.  In  the  mystery  religions  and  in  the  trade 
unions  the  presiding  officer  was  the  bishop. 

These  very  recently  known  facts  make  most  former  dis- 
cussions of  the  historic  episcopate  seem  rather  foolish. 
Instead  of  the  apostles  assuming  the  title  immediately  after 
the  resurrection,  and  causing  the  name  to  be  spread  from 
Jerusalem  as  a  center,  the  term  was  one  with  which  the 
apostles  became  gradually,  and  perhaps  reluctantly,  familiar 


72  THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

through  contact  with  the  Gentile  world.  It  appears  to  have 
been  true  that  there  were  bishops  in  the  churches  recently 
formed  from  heathenism  a  considerable  time  before  there 
were  any  bishops  in  Jerusalem  or  Judea. 

Although  our  knowledge  of  the  evolution  of  the  early 
Church  is  very  fragmentary,  it  is  apparent  that  the  tend- 
ency in  Jerusalem  was  to  keep  as  closely  to  Jewish  forms 
as  possible,  and  there  was  an  evident  movement  there  to 
shape  the  organization  of  that  central  church  after  the 
organization  of  the  temple,  which  certainly  had  no  notion 
of  bishops. 

The  "historic  episcopate"  began  in  heathenism ;  was 
merged  into  Gentile  Christianity  in  its  contact  with  the 
heathen  world  as  standing  for  an  idea  essentially  similar  to 
that  for  which  the  leadership  of  the  Church  was  to  stand. 
The  bishops  in  the  Gentile-Christian  churches  were  to  those 
churches  what  the  elders  were  to  the  Jewish-Christian 
churches.  This  was  the  situation  at  the  time  when  the 
greater  part  of  our  New  Testament  was  written,  and  there- 
fore the  two  terms  are  used  interchangeably.  In  subse- 
quent evolution  one  term  rose  in  dignity  above  the  other, 
and  it  was  the  Gentile  and  not  the  Jewish  term  that  took 
the  higher  rank. 


V.     ECCLESIASTICAL  EVOLUTION 

How  Did  the  Church  Lose  Its  Apostolic  Simplicity? 

The  changes  from  apostolic  simplicity  were  gradual,  and 
occurred  under  a  wide  variety  of  influences.  They  were 
well  under  way  when  the  close  affiliation  of  the  Church 
with  the  Roman  government  completed  the  process  by  plac- 
ing the  throne  of  the  Bishop  of  Rome  side  by  side  with  that 
of  the  emperor.  But  in  the  beginning  it  was  not  so.  Each 
church  was  independent,  and  each  bishop  was  a  member  of 
his  own  local  church. 

The  change  was  gradual,  and  much  more  rapid  in  some 
sections  than  in  others.  It  came  first  in  Asia  Minor,  and 
it  was  several  centuries  before  it  came  to  its  fruition  in 
the  important  church  in  Alexandria.  But  the  process  is 
easily  traced. 

First,  in  the  local  church,  one  of  the  several  presbyters 
rose  above  the  others  as  chief  presbyter,  or  presiding  pres- 
byter. In  the  churches  where  the  title  bishop  had  been 
used  of  all,  it  came  gradually  to  be  applied  only  to  the 
foremost  of  the  men  in  the  ministry.  Then  in  a  district 
the  principal  church  rose  to  a  certain  position  of  leadership 
and  authority,  and  its  chief  pastor  exercised  a  certain  broth- 
erly oversight,  which  in  time  came  to  be  an  ecclesiastical 
control  over  the  neighboring  smaller,  and  often  dependent, 
churches  and  minsters.  The  "metropolitan"  was  a  super- 
intending bishop  of  a  district  tributary  to  his  large  central 
church.  The  presbyters  in  his  own  church  fell  into  a  rank 
subordinate  to  his  own ;  the  presbyters  of  the  neighboring 
churches  surrendered  their  right  to  be  called  bishops  of 
the  same  rank  with  himself. 

As  the  large  and  centrally  located  churches  rose  first 
in  influence  and  then  in  authority  over  the  smaller  churches 
in  their  respective  districts,  distinctions  arose  among  those 
larger  churches  and  their  bishops.  There  were  greater 
bishops  and   lesser  bishops,   among   whom   gradually   the 


74  THE    LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

bishop  nearest  to  the  sources  of  political  power  gradually 
came  to  assume  an  authority  above  all  other  bishops.  The 
center  moved  from  Jerusalem  to  Rome,  and  all  necessary 
legends  and  traditions  were  invented  to  give  to  that  bish- 
opric whatever  honor  was  necessary  to  its  authority.  The 
Bishop  of  Rome  became  the  bishop  above  all  other  bishops. 

Rather  swift  was  the  evolution,  all  things  considered, 
yet  it  took  centuries  to  complete  it.  When  it  was  finished, 
the  New  Testament  simplicity  was  gone,  and  instead  was 
a  great  ecclesiastical  machine,  with  a  great  gulf  fixed  be- 
tween laity  and  clergy,  and  with  the  ministry  rising  in  suc- 
cessive tiers,  rank  above  rank.  The  deacons  were  no  longer 
laymen,  chosen  for  their  good  repute  and  business  ability 
to  care  for  the  secular  interests  of  the  church,  but  a  lower 
order  of  the  clergy;  and  above  them  rose  the  priesthood 
in  higher  and  narrowing  ranks  of  priests,  bishops,  arch- 
bishops, cardinals,  and,  above  them  all,  the  Bishop  of  Rome, 
wearing  the  fisherman's  ring  to  remind  himself  that  he 
was  the  successor  of  Peter,  and  proclaiming  himself  "the 
servant  of  the  servants  of  God,"  that  under  that  title  he 
might  rule  them  all  with  hand  as  rigorous  as  that  of  the 
Roman  emperor,  who  himself  often  trembled  at  the  feet 
of  this  exalted  earthly  monarch. 

Thus  out  of  simple  democracy  rose  the  mighty  mon- 
archy of  the  papacy;  and  when  the  Reformation  came, 
neither  Luther  in  Germany,  who  believed  in  Congregation- 
alism, nor  the  king-ridden  Church  of  England  restored  the 
primitive  simplicity  of  the  apostolic  order.  That  was  re- 
served for  the  Anabaptists  and  the  Puritans. 

Luther  and  the  Congregational  Principle.  In  spite  of  the  high 
esteem  in  which  Luther  had  always  held  civic  authority  and  the 
state,  his  original  intention  was  to  reconstruct  the  church  on  the 
simple  basis  of  government  by  the  congregation.  He  had  visions 
of  a  congregational  life  founded  upon  fellowship  and  on  principles 
of  Christian  liberty,  fraternity,  and  equality.  It  was  further  his 
idea  that  the  national  element  should  find  free  expression,  only  the 
nation  then  meant  the  Roman  empire  of  German  nationality,  and 
he  had  in  view  an  improvement  in  the  general  economic  condition 
of  the  country,  an  increase  in  its  culture,  and  the  upraising  of 
downtrodden  classes.     Not  that  these  were  in  his  eyes   separate 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION 75 

and  independent  ideals;  rather  he  was  convinced  that  a  return  to 
the  Gospel  would  inevitably  bring  about  their  realization.  There- 
fore there  was  no  immediate  need  to  press  them;  he  could  afford 
to  wait  if  necessary;  only  the  Gospel  must  have  free  course. — 
Harnack:  The  Social  Gospel,  p.  51. 

How  the  Changes  Came.  Beneath  the  bishop  or  pastor  grew 
up  the  order  of  the  presbyters,  who  gradually  assumed  the  more 
important  functions  of  the  bishop,  while  the  bishop  became  more 
closely  identified  with  the  administration  of  ecclesiastical  affairs. 
But  above  the  bishop  there  rose  the  metropolitans,  who  in  their 
turn  were  subjected  in  the  eastern  churches  to  the  patriarch;  the 
impersonization  of  the  cause  of  national  unity.  But  the  spirit  of 
nationality  was  not  operative  in  the  western  church  at  the  time 
when  it  was  the  most  potent  factor  in  oriental  Christendom.  In 
the  West,  therefore,  in  place  of  national  unity  as  the  controlling 
motive,  there  was  substituted  the  unity  of  ecclesiastical  empire, 
where  the  Bishop  of  Rome  developed  slowly  into  the  Roman 
papacy. — Allen:   Christian  Institutions,  p.  6. 

By  degrees  a  systematic  organization  sprang  up,  by  which 
neighboring  churches  were  grouped  together  for  the  purpose  of 
consultation  and  self-government.  The  chief  city  of  each  district 
had  the  civil  rank  of  the  "metropolis,"  or  mother  city.  There  the 
local  synods  naturally  met,  and  the  bishop — styled  metropolitan, 
from  his  position — took  the  lead  in  the  deliberations,  as  primus  inter 
pares,  and  acted  as  the  representative  of  his  brother  bishops  in 
their  intercourse  with  other  churches.  Thus,  though  all  bishops 
were  nominally  equal,  a  superior  dignity  and  authority  came  by 
general  consent  to  be  vested  in  the  metropolitans,  which,  when 
the  churches  became  established,  received  the  stamp  of  ecclesi- 
astical authority.  A  little  higher  dignity  was  assigned  to  the 
bishops  of  the  chief  seats  of  government,  such  as  Rome,  Antioch, 
Alexandria,  and  subsequently  Constantinople;  and  among  these, 
the  Bishop  of  Rome  naturally  had  the  precedence. — Encyclopedia 
Britannica,  p.  848. 

Did  the  Changes  Begin  Soon?  Howr  early  modifications 
of  the  original  order  began  finds  an  interesting  illustration 
in  the  prominence  that  soon  was  given  to  "the  brothers 
of  the  Lord."  The  casual  reader  of  the  book  of  Acts  is 
likely  to  miss  this  phenomenon  in  New  Testament  life 
because  of  a  coincidence  in  the  use  of  names.  Peter,  James 
and  John  were  the  apostolic  group  most  closely  associated 
with  Jesus ;  and  in  the  book  of  Acts,  as  also  in  Paul's  letter 
to  the  Galatians,  we  find  Peter,  James  and  John  in  the 
acknowledged  leadership  of  the  community  at  Jerusalem, 
but  with  James  in  so  special  a  position  of  prominence  that 
tradition  assigns  to  him  the  title  of  Bishop  of  Jerusalem. 
But  this  was  not  the  same  James.    James,  the  son  of  Zeb- 


76  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

edee,  who  belonged  to  the  apostolic  group,  was  murdered 
by  Herod  (Acts  12:1).  The  James  who  speedily  became 
prominent  in  the  leadership  of  the  Jerusalem  congregation 
was  a  wholly  different  James,  the  Lord's  brother  (Gal. 
1:19  and  2:9).  That  this  James,  a  new  arrival,  took 
high  rank  is  evident  not  only  in  the  influence  of  his  words 
at  the  apostolic  council  (Acts  15:13-22),  but  also  in  the 
fact  that  messages  from  Jerusalem  asserting  the  perpetual 
authority  of  the  Mosaic  law,  even  upon  Gentile  converts, 
came  not  avowedly  from  the  whole  apostolic  group  but 
from  James  (Gal.  2:  12).  Even  Peter  seems  to  have  been 
over-awed  by  the  surprising  place  of  leadership  which  had 
been  assumed  by  this  relatively  new  convert,  and  Paul 
took  him  sharply  to  task  for  it  in  Antioch  (Gal.  2:  11-14). 
It  goes  without  saying  that  Jesus,  who  acknowledged  no 
kinship  in  the  church  beyond  his  spiritual  relationship  to 
all  believers  (Luke  8:  19-21),  could  have  promulgated  no 
scheme  whose  purpose  was  to  make  a  place  for  his  own 
as  yet  unconverted  brother;  but  James,  who  evidently  be- 
came a  convert  after  the  ministry  of  Jesus  had  ended  (John 
7:5),  secured  by  his  personal  relationship,  what  he  was 
able  to  hold  by  force  of  personality,  a  position  in  the  apos- 
tolic group  not  even  second  to  that  of  Peter. 

The  position  of  James  in  Jerusalem  shows,  first,  that 
there  were  no  such  hard  and  fast  limits  to  the  apostolic 
group  as  has  sometimes  been  imagined.  That  group  was 
elastic  enough  to  admit  Paul,  who  certainly  did  not  derive 
his  orders  from  the  Twelve,  and  Barnabas  (Acts  14:4;  I 
Cor.  9:5,  6),  and  more  obscure  men  like  Andronicus  and 
Junias  (Romans  16:7).  It  also  shows  that  there  was 
great  liberty  of  local  adaptation,  and  no  necessity  whatever 
as  the  first  Christians  understood  it,  of  providing  for  a  suc- 
cession according  to  an  artificial  and  predetermined  scheme. 

The  Relatives  of  Jesus.  According  to  an  old  and  well-attested 
tradition,  with  which  Acts  12  fits  in,  the  Twelve  remained  twelve 
years  in  Jerusalem;  then  by  the  second  persecution,  viz.,  that  of 
Herod,  in  which  James  the  son  of  Zebedee  fell,  they  were  scat- 
tered,   and    afterwards    returned    only    temporarily    to    Jerusalem. 


ECCLESIASTICAL   EVOLUTION  77 

But  they  had  already  worked  as  missionaries  in  Judea  from  Jeru- 
salem as  a  center,  or  had  confirmed  the  missionary  work  of  others 
(as  Peter  and  John  in  Samaria,  Peter  in  Philistia).  Now,  in  all 
probability,  a  total  change  of  constitution  took  place  in  Jerusalem. 
James,  the  brother  of  the  Lord,  and  presbyters  took  the  place  of 
the  government  of  the  Twelve  which  prefigured  the  messianic 
kingdom.  (The  Acts  does  not  note  the  transformation  but  pre- 
supposes it:  see  12:17;  11:30;  13:2,  4,  6,  22,  23;  21:18).  It  is 
certain  that  members  of  the  college  of  the  Twelve  (Peter  and 
John)  who  were  still  present  from  time  to  time  in  Jerusalem,  had 
not  lost  their  authority  (Gal.  2;  Acts  15;  Acts  11:30  refers  only  to 
the  presbyters.  Acts  15  to  the  apostles  and  presbyters,  Acts  21  to 
James  and  the  presbyters).  The  new  constitution  must  be  esti- 
mated from  three  points  of  view: 

(1)  It  gives  prominence  to  the  relations  of  Jesus  (after  James' 
death  the  cousin  of  Jesus,  Simeon,  was  chosen  in  Jerusalem  ac- 
cording to  Eusebius  2: 11,  by  the  apostles  still  living,  and  also  by 
disciples  and  relations  of  Jesus).  Other  relations  of  Jesus  also 
came  to  the  front  in  Palestinian  communities.  Jesus'  relations 
are  called  desposyni,  i.  e.,  those  "belonging  to  the  master."  The 
old  Jewish-Christian  list  of  bishops  of  Jerusalem  with  its  many 
names  is  perhaps  also  a  list  of  the  relations  of  Jesus:  Hegesippus, 
Julius  Africanus;  see  Zahn,  Forsch,  vi,  pp.  225  et  seq.). — Harnack: 
The  Constitution  and  Law  of  the  Cihurch,  pp.  32-33. 

Influence  of  Brothers  of  the  Lord.  The  brothers  of  the  Lord 
appear  to  have  been  often  with  the  apostles,  although  they  were 
distinguished  from  them.  Their  authority  was  at  least  equal  to 
that  of  the  apostles.  These  two  groups  constituted,  in  the  nascent 
Church,  a  sort  of  aristocracy,  based  entirely  upon  the  greater  or 
less  intimacy  which  they  had  had  with  the  Master.  It  was  these 
men  whom  St.  Paul  called  "pillars"  of  the  Church  of  Jerusalem. 
We  see,  moreover,  that  no  distinctions  of  ecclesiastical  hierarchy 
were  yet  in  existence.  The  title  was  nothing;  the  personal  author- 
ity was  everything. — Ernest  Renan:  The  Apostles,  p.  HI. 

Did  Jesus  During  the  Forty  Days  Establish  a  Formal 
Organization?  There  has  been  considerable  recent  attempt 
on  the  part  of  High  Church  partisans  in  the  Episcopal 
Church  to  derive  an  authority  for  their  system  of  govern- 
ment from  the  silence  of  the  forty  days  after  the  resurrec- 
tion. These  claims  are  met  now  and  then  in  somewhat 
pretentious  works,  but  more  frequently  appear  in  sectarian 
tracts,  from  one  of  which  the  following  is  quoted: 

An  Amazing  Reconstruction  of  History.  A.  D.  33.  According 
to  the  first  chapter  of  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  the  Lord,  during 
the  forty  days  intervening  between  his  resurrection  and  ascension, 
instructs  the  apostles  concerning  the  Kingdom  of  God,  a  term 
synonomous  with  the  Church  of  God,  in  other  words.  He  instructs 
them  concerning  his  church,  its  form,  order,  worship,  government, 
organization,  doctrine,  etc. 


78  THE    LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

A.  D.  35.  The  apostles,  in  obedience  to  Christ's  instruction, 
separate  and  establish  the  church  with  bishops,  priests,  and  dea- 
cons, a  liturgical  worship,  common  prayer,  etc.,  in  different  coun- 
tries. 

A.  D.  35  to  A.  D.  67.  The  Church  of  England  is  founded  in 
Britain,  the  Church  of  Egypt  in  Egypt,  the  Church  of  Rome  in 
Rome,  the  Church  of  Africa  in  Africa,  and  other  national  Catholic 
and  Apostolic  Churches  are  founded  in  other  parts  of  the  world. 

A.  D.  70.  Bishop  Clement,  of  Rome,  whose  name  St.  Paul  says 
is  written  in  the  Book  of  Life,  says  St.  Paul  went  to  the  extreme 
limit  of  the  west,  which  included  Britain. 


From  these  notes  you  can  readily  see  that  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church  of  this  country  is  the  same  church  in  origin  as 
when  called  the  Church  of  England  in  the  colonies  in  A.  D.  1607; 
it  is  the  same  in  origin  as  hen  it  first  united  with  the  first  Roman 
Mission  in  England  in  A.  D.  673;  it  is  the  same  in  origin  as  the 
church  which  sent  bishops  to  the  Council  of  Aries  in  A.  D.  314 
and  was  represented  at  the  Council  of  Nice  in  A.  D.  325;  it  is  the 
same  in  origin  as  the  church  founded  by  St.  Paul  in  Britain  as 
testified  by  the  early  bishops  and  fathers  and  ecclesiastical  his- 
torians of  the  Catholic  and  Apostolic  Church — St.  Clement,  St. 
Irenaeus,  Tertullian,  Origen,  St.  Chrysostom  and  others. — Church 
Facts,  a  pamphlet  published  by  Young  Churchman  Company. 

These  are  not  church  facts  nor  even  church  fancies. 
They  hardly  deserve  the  dignity  of  the  name  of  church 
fallacies.  There  is  no  courteous  term  which  can  justly 
characterize  such  flagrant  misuse  of  Scripture  and  of  his- 
tory. 

There  is  no  intimation  whatever  in  the  Scripture  that 
Jesus  during  the  forty  days  after  the  resurrection  taught 
his  disciples  a  system  of  church  government.  The  King- 
dom of  God  of  which  Jesus  talked  was  not  identical  with 
the  organized  church,  and  to  suppose  that  He  occupied  the 
few  brief  meetings  with  the  disciples  after  his  resurrection 
in  delivering  lectures  on  church  polity  is  preposterous. 
Desperate  must  be  the  case  of  a  sectarian  author  who  is 
forced  to  such  shifts.  The  character  of  the  conversations 
of  this  period  recorded  in  the  Gospels  is  so  remote  from 
this  as  to  make  the  supposition  very  nearly  violent;  but  if 
He  did  reveal  to  them  a  system  of  church  government,  the 
significant  fact  concerning  it  is  that  they  went  straight 
forward,  as  we  shall  later  see,  and  organized  self-governing 
churches. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION 79 

An  Eminent  Episcopalian  Scholar's  Testimony.  The  apostolic 
origin  of  the  British  Church,  whether  through  St.  Paul  or  one  of 
the  Twelve,  is  unproved  and  improbable.  When  Eusebius,  follow- 
ing Origen,  sketches  the  fields  of  apostolic  missionary  work,  he 
omits  Britain.  The  attractive  story  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea  found- 
ing Glastonbury  is  a  medieval  legend  of  even  later  date  than  that 
of  St.  James  at  Compostella  in  Spain.  We  have  something  a 
little  more  substantial  when  Tertullian,  among  the  nations  in 
which  the  faith  has  found  a  home,  mentions  Hispaniarum  omnes 
termini,  et  Galliarum  deversce  nationes,  et  Britanorum  inaccessa 
Romanis  loca  Christo  vero  subdita.  But  an  oratorical  flourish  of 
this  kind  need  not  mean  more  than  that  Tertullian  knew  that  the 
Gospel  had  spread  widely,  and  liked  to  give  telling  details.  Ire- 
nseus,  writing  a  little  earlier  than  Tertullian,  mentions  Germany, 
Iberia,  and  the  Celts,  but  says  nothing  about  Britain;  and  it  is 
quite  possible  that  in  his  time  Christianity  had  not  yet  reached 
our  shores. 

It  seems  right  to  add  a  word  of  caution  against  the  common 
confusion  between  the  British  Church  and  the  English  Church. 
They  were  quite  distinct,  and  had  very  little  to  do  with  one  an- 
other. To  cite  the  British  bishops  at  the  Councils  of  Aries  and 
Rimini  as  evidence  of  the  antiquity  of  the  English  Church  is  pre- 
posterous. There  was  then  no  England;  and  the  ancestors  of 
English  Churchmen  were  heathen  tribes  on  the  continent.  The 
history  of  the  Church  of  England  begins  with  the  episcopate  of 
Archbishop  Theodore  (A.  D.  668),  or  at  the  very  earliest  with  the 
landing  of  Augustine  (A.  D.  597).  By  that  time  the  British  Church 
had  been  almost  destroyed  by  the  heathen  English,  and  the  rem- 
nant of  it  refused  to  assist  Augustine  in  the  work  of  conversion. 
The  Scottish  Church  of  Ireland  and  West  Scotland  rendered  some 
help;  the  British  Church  stood  aloof.  Bede  tells  us  that  down  to 
his  day  the  Britains  still  treated  English  Christians  as  pagans. — 
Alfred  Plummer:  The  Church  of  the   Early  Fathers. 

When  Do  We  First  Find  a  Distinction  Between  Bishop 
and  Presbyter?  The  first  distinction  w^e  find  between 
bishop  and  presbyter  is  in  the  writings  of  Ignatius,  who 
died  in  107  A.  D.  In  these  letters  for  the  first  time  the 
local  church  has  not  only  a  single  bishop  but  a  company  of 
elders.  These  letters  represented  a  custom  which  had  come 
to  prevail  and  quite  recently  in  the  churches  of  Asia  Minor. 
We  know  that  for  a  long  time  afterward  a  different  custom 
prevailed  in  other  regions,  but  the  letters  of  Ignatius  are 
the  stronghold  of  those  who  attempt  to  trace  a  distinction 
between  bishop  and  presbyter  back  to  the  time  of  the 
apostles.  As  Peter  and  Paul  had  both  suffered  martyrdom 
forty  years  before  the  death  of  Ignatius,  his  testimony 
leaves  a  wide  gap. 


80  THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

Distinction  in  Terms  Bishop  and  Presbyter.  Presbyter  may 
denote  simply  the  old  as  opposed  to  the  young;  it  may  be  a  title 
of  honor  (by  which  personal  excellence  as  well  as  the  quality 
of  representing  an  older  authoritative  period  [=a  witness  of  tra- 
dition] is  marked);  it  can  also  denote  the  elected  and  formally 
appointed  member  of  a  council.  The  use  of  the  word  in  its  differ- 
ent meanings  within  the  Christian  communities  may  be  derived 
from  the  synagogue — this  is  the  most  natural  assumption — or  from 
the  municipal  constitutions,  or  it  may  have  arisen  spontaneously. 
In  the  same  way  the  bishops  may  be  derived  from  the  Septuagint; 
they  may  have  been  copied  from  the  municipal  administrations, 
but  they  may  also — and  this  is  the  most  probable  view — have  arisen 
spontaneously.  The  word  always  signifies  an  overseer,  curator, 
superintendent;  but  as  to  what  the  supervision  is  concerned  with, 
it  contains  no  indication.  It  may  be  souls,  and  then  the  word  is 
equivalent  to  pastors  (see  I  Pet.  2:25,  "the  shepherd  and  overseer 
of  your  souls"  .  .  .  ),  but  it  may  also  be  buildings,  economic 
affairs,  etc.,  or  it  may  be  a  combination  of  the  two. — Harnack:  Con- 
stitution and  Law,  p.  58. 

The  Plural  Episcopate.  It  is  true  that  this  very  office  [the 
ministry]  as  embodied  in  a  single  person,  has  no  strict  claim  to 
be  an  apostolic  institution,  seeing  that  all  local  ministry  was  in 
the  apostolic  age,  exercised  by  a  plurality  of  persons,  whether 
elders  or  deacons. — /.  Vernon  Bartlet  in  address.  Is  the  Congrega- 
tional Ministry  Apostolic?  Int.  Council  Edinburgh,  1908  Report, 
p.  213. 

Origin  of  Episcopate.  The  monarchical  episcopate  is  first  met 
with  in  Asia  Minor,  where  the  development  seems  to  have  arisen 
more  rapidly  than  anywhere  else;  there  are  intimations  of  this  in 
the  letters  of  Ignatius,  written  when  he  was  traveling  from  Anti- 
och  (circa  110)  to  Rome,  where  he  was  to  suffer  the  death  of  a 
martyr.  Ignatius  welcomed  it  with  great  enthusiasm.  A  new 
form  of  enthusiasm,  in  fact,  is  about  to  arise — enthusiasm  for  an 
office.  In  earlier  days  apostles  and  prophets  were  expected  to 
produce  a  direct  testimony,  full  of  spiritual  power,  the  word  of 
God;  they  were  expected  to  show  themselves  to  be  representatives 
of  Christ.  Ignatius  claims  that  the  bishop  answers  these  require- 
ments: Whoever  opposes  him  opposes  God;  he  represents  the 
unity  of  the  Church,  and  is  surety  for  it;  where  the  bishop  is, 
there  are  the  flock,  just  as  where  Christ  is  there  is  the  Universal 
Church.  In  this  connection  we  hear  for  the  first  time  of  the 
"Catholic  Church"  (ad  Smyrn  8).  Evidently  it  was  particularly 
the  danger  of  division  into  many  parties  within  the  Church,  of 
schism,  that  called  forth  this  enthusiastic  praise  of  what  was 
manifestly  a  new  born  constitution. — Hans  von  Schubert:  Outlines 
of  Church  History,  pp.  56-57. 

Ignatius,  it  is  true,  urges  obedience  to  bishops,  but  what  he 
has  in  mind  seems  to  be  a  loyalty  to  the  local  mniister  in  the  face 
of  divisive  individualism.  Irenseus,  indeed,  attaches  rnuch  impor- 
tance to  bishops,  but  chiefly  as  persons  to  whom  inquirers  or 
doubters  may  be  referred  for  information  as  to  the  faith.  We 
proceed  down  the  line  of  saints  and  confessors  till  we  come  in 
the  middle  of  the  third  century  to  Cyprian.     He  was  the  father  of 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION  81 

ecclesiastics  as  Origen  was  the  father  of  theologians. — Dean  George 
Hodges:  The  Early  Church,  p.  95. 

Were   the   Bishops   Successors   of   the   Apostles?    The 

theory  that  bishops  were  successors  of  the  apostles  is  first 
set  forth  by  Ignatius,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  the 
idea  of  a  monarchical  bishop,  but  Ignatius  knows  no  such 
official  as  a  diocesan  bishop.  His  bishop  is  a  local  pastor, 
the  foremost  representative  of  a  single  local  church. 
While  the  epistles  of  Ignatius  are  the  stronghold  of  those 
who  appeal  to  early  usage  in  support  of  the  monarchical 
episcopate,  the  officer  whom  he  describes  has  nothing  in 
common  with  the  modern  notion  of  an  episcopal  bishop  but 
is  to  all  intents  and  purposes  a  Congregational  pastor,  with 
an  advisory  board  of  elders. 

Bishop  the  Head  of  Local  Church.  The  letters  of  Ignatius  are 
surprising,  because  suddenly  and  with  extraordinary  vehemence 
they  show  us  the  local  church  unified  in  a  single  minister,  called 
now  a  bishop,  and  distinguished  from  the  elders.  As  Ignatius  was 
martyred  in  A.  D.  107,  the  letters,  if  genuine,  show  us  the  church 
in  Antioch,  and  the  churches  in  Asia  Minor,  as  they  were  after  the 
death  of  the  Apostle  John.  Possibly  the  fact  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment which  best  prepares  us  for  this  advance  in  church  govern- 
ment is  the  series  of  letters  to  the  seven  churches  in  the  Apo- 
calypse. The  "angel  of  the  church"  is  evidently  the  representative 
of  the  church.  And  what  the  angel  of  the  church  is  there,  the 
bishop  is  in  Ignatius.  The  interest  of  this  connection  is  deepened 
by  the  fact  that  Ignatius  writes  to  two  of  the  seven  churches, 
Smyrna  and  Philadelphia.  At  Ephesus  the  bishop  is  Onesimus; 
at  Magnesia,  Damas;  at  Tralles,  Polybius;  at  Smyrna,  Polycarp. 
The  bishop,  or  angel,  of  Philadelphia  is  not  named.  Curiously 
enough  the  letter  to  Rome  does  not  refer  to  the  bishop  of  that 
church,  and  indeed  no  mention  of  any  kind  is  made  of  the  min- 
istry there. — Horton:  The  Early  Church,  p.  88. 

Differentialism  of  Duties.  In  the  very  earliest  period  presby- 
ters and  bishops  here  and  there  coincided,  so  that  every  duly 
appointed  presbyter  was  also  called  a  bishop.  But  quick  and 
decisive  was  the  victory  of  the  form  of  expression  according  to 
which  only  the  officials  who  played  an  active  and  leading  part  in 
the  assembly  of  the  community  and  in  the  care  of  the  poor  were 
called  bishops  (without  losing  the  name  presbyter  or  their  place 
in  the  college  of  presbyters).  Bishop  is  a  higher  name  and  prob- 
ably has  nothing  to  do  originally  with  the  secular  episcopos  of  a  city, 
but  only  with  the  episcopos  Christ  (I  Pet.  2:  25;  Ign.  Eph.  6:  1;  Magn. 
6:  1,  13:2;  Trail,  3:1;  Rom.  9:1).  At  a  later  period  analogies  may 
have  been  set  up,  and  here  and  there  these  may  have  been  of 
importance,  but  this  cannot  be  proved.  This  victory  is  obviously 
a  proof  of  the  increasing  importance  of  the  care  of  the  poor  and 


82  THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

of  the  service  in  the  assembly  of  the  community,  which  more  and 
more  resolved  itself  into  the  conducting  of  public  worship,  now 
beginning  to  establish  itself  in  a  fixed  form.  But  the  function  of 
the  bishops  and  deacons  (especially,  however,  of  the  former)  must 
have  completely  differentiated  itself  from  that  of  the  presbyters 
in  general,  when,  owing  to  the  lack  of  prophets  and  teachers, 
they  were  charged  with  the  function  of  building  up  by  means  of 
the  Word  and  other  duties  which  these  inspired  men  had  hitherto 
performed. — Harnack:  Constitution  and  Law  of  Early  Church,  p.  92. 

Did   the   Apostles   Invent  Apostolic   Succession?     No, 

they  did  nothing  of  the  kind.  Sabatier  has  shrewdly  said 
that  the  doctrine  of  apostolic  sticcession  did  not  make  the 
bishops,  but  the  bishops  made  the  doctrine.  The  begin- 
nings of  this  theory  may  be  traced  straight  to  Irenaeus, 
who  in  support  of  his  quite  new  idea  of  a  single  bishop  in 
the  local  church,  conceived  of  this  idea  as  inherent  in  the 
organization  of  the  church  by  the  apostles.  The  churches 
in  Asia  Minor  knew  little,  and  had  seen  little,  of  the  con- 
ference of  an  apostolic  group.  Such  a  group  continued  for 
some  time  in  Jerusalem,  not  composed,  as  we  know,  wholly 
of  those  who  had  been  disciples  of  Jesus,  but  of  some  of 
those  men  and  of  others  prominent  in  Palestinian  Chris- 
tianity, notably  James,  the  brother  of  Jesus.  There  was 
only  one  attempt  to  keep  the  apostolic  number  complete. 
The  term  apostle  came  to  be  very  loosely  applied,  and  in 
the  second  century  meant,  not  one  of  the  original  twelve, 
but  a  traveling  evangelist,  who  was  to  be  given  free  enter- 
tainment for  a  limited  time  only,  and  received  courteously, 
but  with  reservations.  That  the  twelve  apostles  ordained 
successors  in  the  apostolic  office,  these  being  bishops  as 
distinct  from  presbyters,  is  a  pure  fiction,  the  dream  of 
ecclesiastics  who  have  no  other  foundation  for  their  alleged 
apostolic  authority. 

The  apostolic  succession  of  the  New  Testament  is  a 
spiritual  succession  from  the  apostles:  it  is  not  a  succes- 
sion of  apostles  under  the  title  of  bishops. 

The  claim  of  the  Church  of  Rome  that  its  bishops  can 
prove  direct  descent  of  ordination  from  Peter  is  not  sus- 
tained by  the  evidence ;  and  the  attempt  of  the  high  church 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION  83 

element  in  the  Episcopal  Church  to  derive  a  succession  for 
their  orders,  either  from  Rome,  or  by  way  of  the  alleged 
ancient  Church  of  Britain,  is  still  less  satisfactory.  It  is 
repudiated  by  Rome,  and  by  candid  scholars  in  the  Episco- 
pal Church. 

The  oldest  of  the  lists  of  Roman  bishops  which  has 
come  down  to  us  in  connection  with  the  claim  of  apostolic 
succession  is  that  of  Eusebius,  in  the  fourth  century,  quot- 
ing Hegesippus,  about  i6o  A.  D.,  who  traveled  to  Corinth 
and  Rome,  and  made  up  such  a  list  of  bishops  as  he  was 
able  at  that  time  to  do.  Unfortunately  for  the  theory  of 
the  succession,  there  are  two  other  lists  almost  as  old  and 
entitled  to  as  much  respect,  both  of  which  differ  from  that  of 
Hegesippus,  even  as  to  the  first  four  names.  Irenseus,  who 
died  in  the  same  year  as  Hegesippus,  189,  gives  a  list  of 
Roman  bishops  beginning  with  Peter  and  Paul,  Linus,  Ana- 
cletus,  Clement;  but  Tertullian  makes  Clement  the  imme- 
diate successor  of  Peter,  and  this  would  appear  far  more 
likely,  inasmuch  as  he  was  a  companion  of  the  Apostles, 
and  his  first  epistle  was  once  counted  for  holy  Scripture, 
and  Paul  says  of  him  that  his  name  is  in  the  Book  of  Life 
(Phil.  4:3).  But  Rufinus  starts  the  list  with  Linus  and 
Cletus,  both  of  whom,  according  to  his  calendar,  died  before 
Peter.  Dr.  Richard  F.  Littledale,  in  his  work  on  the 
"Petrine  Claims,"  enumerates  eleven  divergent  views  and 
conflicting  lists  covering  the  first  period  of  the  Roman 
Church.  It  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  so  high  and  top- 
heavy  an  edifice  as  the  theory  of  apostolic  succession  can 
be  built  on  such  a  foundation  of  sand. 

Theory  of  Apostolical  Succession.  An  attribute  of  quite  special 
importance  is  proclaimed  quite  clearly  in  the  West  as  early  as  the 
end  of  the  second  century,  i.  e.,  the  attribute  of  the  apostolical 
succession  of  the  bishops.  In  that  epoch  of  civilization  ideas  of 
succession  were  by  no  means  unusual;  they  generally  took  the 
form  of  mystical  conceptions  and  legal  fictions.  These,  however, 
are  based  on  a  very  true  analysis  of  experience,  since  there  is 
hardly  anything  which  gives  a  greater  feeling  of  confidence  and 
stability  (if  one  does  not  go  beyond  a  superficial  view)  than  the 
chain  of  regular  successions  in  an  office  or  calling,  or  in  connec- 
tion with  the  transmission  of  a  doctrine   regarded   as  a  deposit. 


84  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

Precedents  and  limitations  necessarily  grow  up  in  connection  with 
any  office,  as  well  as  ideas  of  what  is  inevitably  involved  in  it, 
and  these  influence  not  only  the  outside  public  but  also  the  holders 
of  the  office  or  the  custodians  of  the  deposit,  and  confer  upon 
these  men,  as  a  kind  of  permanent  stamp,  a  characteristic  temper- 
ament and  reputation,  as  though  the  originator  of  the  whole  chain 
were  in  some  sort  incarnate  in  them  all. 

It  followed  as  a  necessary  consequence  of  the  conception  of  the 
apostolicity  of  the  bishops  that  the  ancient,  and  partly  correct, 
tradition  that  the  apostles  had  appointed  the  officials  of  the  Church 
now  became  specialized,  and  it  was  asserted  that  the  apostles  (or 
in  such  cases  always  a  single  apostle)  had  appointed  the  bishops 
in  the  individual  communities.  .  .  .  The  apostolical  character 
of  the  episcopate,  which  was  the  crown  and  culmination  of  its 
dignity,  raised  it  high  above  the  presbyters,  and  so  immediately 
restored  to  it  the  pre-eminence  and  reputation  which  it  seemed 
likely  to  lose  through  being  placed  on  the  same  level  as  the  pres- 
byters in  their  capacity  of  priests.  .  .  .  As  individuals  the 
presbyters  were  probably  not  very  important  where  the  community 
was  small  and  there  was  only  one  assembly  for  worship  in  a  place, 
but  no  doubt  they  gained  in  importance  where  there  were  several 
such  assemblies,  for  then  they  were  commissioned  by  the  bishop 
to  conduct  the  services  of  the  branch  congregations,  and  he  needed 
their  advice  and  help  in  the  numerous  and  important  matters 
which  came  before  him. — Harnack:  Constitution  and  Law  of  the 
Church,  pp.  122-129. 

Who  Were  the  Apostles  in  the  Second  Century?    The 

literature  of  the  second  century  indicates  plainly  what  con- 
ception the  churches  of  that  period  had  of  the  apostoHc 
office  in  their  day.  The  successors  of  the  apostles  were 
not  high  and  mighty  ecclesiastics,  but  itinerant  evangelists. 
That  exceedingly  valuable  document,  known  as  "The 
Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles,"  which  is  really  the  old- 
est church  manual  in  existence,  gives  specific  direction. 
The  apostle  is  to  receive  free  entertainment  for  not  more 
than  two  days,  and  is  not  to  carry  away  with  him  as  a 
contribution  any  money,  nor  more  than  enough  bread  to 
last  him  till  he  comes  to  his  next  lodging.  Any  idea  that 
he  was  to  sit  in  his  metropolitan  cathedral,  receiving  tribute 
from  lesser  clergy,  is  absurd  in  the  light  of  this  reliable 
information. 

From  the  Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles.  Now  with  regard 
to  the  apostles  and  prophets,  according  to  the  decree  of  the  gospel, 
so  do  ye. 

Let  every  apostle  that  cometh  to  you  be  received  as  the  Lord. 

But  he  shall  not  remain  longer  than  one  day;  and  if  need  be 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION 85 

another  day  also;  but  if  he  remain  three  days  he  is  a  false  prophet. 
And  when  the  apostle  departeth,  let  him  take  nothing  except 
bread  till  he  reach  his  lodging.     But  if  he  ask  for  money  he  is  a 
false  prophet. — Didache:  xi,  3-6. 

Note  by  Philip  Schaff.  The  apostle  here  referred  to  is  a  wan- 
dering evangelist  or  itinerant  preacher  who  carries  the  gospel  to 
the  unconverted,  and  is  therefore  not  allowed  to  remain  in  one 
place.  Hermas  uses  the  term  likewise  in  this  wider  sense  and 
speaks  of  forty  apostles  and  teachers.  Eusebius  says,  "It  is  im- 
possible for  us  to  give  the  number  of  the  individuals  that  became 
pastors  or  evangelists  during  the  first  immediate  succession  from 
the  apostles  in  the  churches  throughout  the  world." — Commentary 
on  Didache,  pp.  69,  199. 

Was  the  Monarchical  Episcopate  Episcopal?  When  the 
idea  of  the  bishop  as  elevated  above  the  presbyter  obtained 
entrance  into  certain  churches,  particularly  in  Asia  Minor, 
it  w^as  in  no  such  form  as  is  now  represented  in  the  idea  of 
the  bishop  of  a  diocese  supervising  and  controlling  the 
presbyters  of  a  large  group  of  churches.  The  bishop  w^as 
the  presiding  presbyter  in  a  local  church,  and  the  pres- 
byters vi^ere  ministers  of  the  same  church.  Each  church 
was  supposed  to  possess  its  plural  ministry  of  presbyters, 
of  whom  one,  the  bishop,  represented  the  church  in  its 
wider  relationships.  The  theory  of  Irenseus  was  not  that 
the  churches  of  a  district  were  united  in  support  of  a  single 
bishop,  but  that  each  local  church  was  united  in  its  bishop 
to  other  churches  similarly  represented,  each  by  its  own 
bishop.  Irenseus,  wide  as  was  his  departure  from  the 
primitive  polity,  was  still  not  far  from  a  modern  Congrega- 
tionalist,  recognizing  that  however  many  presbyters  a 
church  may  possess,  inevitably  one  minister  will  come  to 
recognition  as  in  a  special  sense  its  pastor. 

The  Monarchical  Episcopate.  As  regards  the  question  of  the 
origin  of  the  monarchical  office,  it  is  extremely  significant  that  it 
developed  in  connection  with  the  problem  of  organization.  Organ- 
ization came  within  the  sphere  of  the  officials  in  charge  of  public 
worship,  who  also  had  in  their  hands  the  administration  of  the 
funds  and  the  care  of  the  poor.  These  officials  in  charge  of  the 
worship  are  already  mentioned  by  Paul  (Philippians);  Clement 
not  only  carries  back  their  appointment  to  the  apostles,  but  also 
knows  of  an  apostolical  injunction  dealing  with  the  lasting  neces- 
sity of  such  an  office  of  overseer  (bishop),  while  Hermas  connects 
them  with  the  apostles  and  teachers,  and  the  Didache  with  the 


86  THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

prophets  and  teachers  (similar  assertions  are  not  made  about  the 
office  of  the  presbyters).  Since  we  arc  deprived  of  almost  every 
direct  source  of  information  concerning  the  origin  of  the  mon- 
archy of  the  bishop,  we  are  thrown  back  upon  hypotheses.  In 
connection  with  these  we  must  be  mindful  of  the  saying  of  Salmon: 
If  the  original  constitution  of  the  Church  was  not  the  same  as  in 
the  time  of  Irenseus,  it  must  at  least  have  been  capable  of  an 
inner  development  to  the  later  form,  and  indeed  in  the  form  of 
quite  gradual  changes,  called  forth  by  causes  universal  in  their 
nature. — Harnack:  Constitution  and  Law,  p.  96. 

View  of  Ignatius.  Ignatius  is  quite  sure  that  the  apostles 
themselves  instituted  this  episcopal  office.  In  view  of  the  silence 
of  the  New  Testament  this  confidence  is  very  striking.  We  are 
inclined  to  infer  that  the  "monarchical"  episcopate  of  James  at 
Jerusalem,  and  the  "angels  of  the  churches"  in  Asia  Minor,  repre- 
sent the  practice  of  the  twelve  apostles,  with  which  Ignatius  was 
familiar,  and  that  the  Pauline  method  of  elders  and  deacons  with- 
out a  president  was  peculiar  to  his  churches,  and  perhaps  only 
transitional,  attaching  to  the  period  when  he  was  in  active  control 
of  all  his  churches.  At  any  rate,  the  eager  and  confident  attitude 
of  Ignatius,  on  the  subject  of  a  single  minister  presiding  over  the 
local  church,  shows  that  the  practice  which  has  prevailed  all 
through  Christendom  is  carried  back,  if  not  to  the  time  of  the 
apostles,  at  any  rate  to  that  which  immediately  succeeded.  There 
is  an  august  simile;  the  local  church  is  compared  to  the  heavenly 
court:  "The  bishop  presiding  after  the  likeness  of  God,  and  the 
presbyters  after  the  likeness  of  the  council  of  the  apostles,  with 
the  deacons  also  who  are  most  dear  to  me,  having  been  entrusted 
with  the  diaconate  of  Jesus  Christ"  (Magn.  6). 

The  Ignatian  bishop  exactly  corresponds  to  the  pastor  of  a 
Congregational  church  in  England  or  in  America.  And  that  is  the 
direction  in  which  we  mav  most  hopefully  seek  to  illustrate  the 
state  of  the  church  in  the  time  of  Ignatius.  In  each  place  there  is 
one  church.  He  would  not,  like  modern  Congregationalists,  allow 
several  churches  in  a  single  city.  He,  like  St.  Paul,  and  the  New 
Testament  generally,  speaks  of  "the  church  which  is  in  Ephesus" 
or  "in  Magnesia,"  but  he  would  never  have  said  "the  churches  of 
Ephesus."  Each  city  had  its  one  organized  community,  with  the 
bishop  at  the  head  of  it,  and  its  due  complement  of  elders  and 
deacons.  Ignatius  is  the  earliest  writer  to  use  the  phrase  which 
acquired  so  amazing  a  power,  "the  Catholic  Church";  but  he  means 
by  it  not  what  it  afterwards  came  to  mean,  but  the  sum  total  of 
the  local  communities  held  together  by  mutual  intercourse  and 
acts  of  sympathy.  The  bishop  docs  not  preside  over  several 
churches,  but  only  over  one;  we  do  not  even  hear  yet  of  synods 
of  bishops  from  neighboring  towns.  The  church  is  itself  the 
sovereign  authority,  which  appoints  its  own  representatives.  _  The 
authority,  however,  of  bishop  and  presbyters,  when  once  appointed, 
was  indefeasible.  Obedience  to  them  must  be  rendered  "as  to  the 
apostles  of  Jesus  Christ  our  hope"  (Trail.  2),  so  that  in  the  view 
of  Ignatius  the  presbytery  was  virtually  the  successor  of  the 
apostles,  the  presbytery,  that  is,  of  the  local  church.— Horion.-  Early 
Church,  pp.  89-90. 

Bishop  as  an  Elder  Brother.    We  may  best  sum  up  his  position 


ECCLESIASTICAL   EVOLUTION  87 

by  saying  that  he  is  to  be  the  elder  brother  in  the  brotherhood  of 
the  church. — Durrell:  The  Historic  Church,  p.  55. 

The  Ignatian  doctrine  did  not  go  unchallenged.  Many 
of  the  early  churches  throughout  whole  districts  and  na- 
tions conducted  their  own  ordinations.  For  a  consider- 
able period  Alexandria  was  the  most  important  center  in 
Christendom;  its  representatives  at  the  Council  of  Nicaea 
were,  as  Dean  Stanly  has  said,  the  most  learned  body  in 
the  entire  Council.  The  bishop  of  Alexandria,  tracing  his 
succession  from  Mark,  was  for  a  time  the  only  potentate 
who  bore  the  name  of  Pope ;  and  after  the  Council  of  Nicaea 
he  was  "the  judge  of  the  world."  But  the  church  of  Alex- 
andria had  no  episcopal  ordination.  The  bishop,  with  all 
his  extraordinary  power,  was  a  presiding  presbyter. 

The  Testimony  of  Jerome.  For  at  Alexanderia,  also,  from 
Mark  the  Evangelist  to  the  Bishops  Heracles  and  Dionysius,  the 
presbyters  always  called  one  elected  by  themselves,  and  placed  in 
a  higher  rank  their  bishop. — Epistle  to  Evangelius. 

Jerome's  Further  Testimony.  A  bishop  is  the  same  as  a  pres- 
byter; and  before,  by  the  instigation  of  the  devil,  there  were  divi- 
sions in  religion,  the  Church  was  governed  by  the  council  of  the 
presbyters. 

How    Did    the    Modem    Denominations    Arise?     The 

various  denominations  which  now  comprise  the  visible 
church  have  risen  partly  through  historic  development  and 
geographical  distribution  and  partly  through  the  various 
attempts  that  have  been  made  to  reform  the  Church  or  some 
cf  its  branches,  or  to  emphasize  some  distinctive  principle 
or  doctrine. 

Some  of  the  denominations  that  now  exist,  as  for  in- 
stance the  Roman  Catholic,  believe  themselves  to  be  able 
to  establish  unbroken  historical  lines  of  descent  from  apos- 
tolic days.  It  does  not  follow,  however,  that  these  churches 
are  more  apostolic  in  type  or  character  than  those  that  trace 
their  modern  beginnings  to  definite  modern  movements. 
The  older  Protestant  denominations,  such  as  the  Episcopal, 
the  Presbyterian,  the  Reformed,  the  Congregational,  and 
the  Lutheran,  grew  out  of  the  movements  that  followed  the 


88  THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Reformation,  but  may  be  none  the  less  apostolic  by  reason 
of  that  fact.  When  Roman  Catholic  theologians  taunted 
the  early  bishops  of  the  Church  of  England  with  the  state- 
ment that  they  could  not  prove  their  succession  from  the 
apostles,  these  bishops  were  wont  to  reply  that  apostolic 
grace  and  authority  had  never  been  confined  to  mere  tactual 
succession,  and  reminded  their  opponents  that  in  Jesus'  day 
the  scribes  and  pharisees  sat  in  Moses'  seat. 

Episcopal  Succession  Not  a  Proof  of  Divine  Authority.  I  deny, 
my  Lord,  that  succession  of  bishops  is  an  infallible  point  to  know 
the  Church  by.  .  .  .  Although  you  can  prove  the  succession 
of  bishops  from  Peter,  yet  this  is  not  sufficient  to  prove  Rome  the 
Catholic  Church,  unless  you  can  prove  the  profession  of  Peter's 
faith,  whereupon  the  Catholic  Church  is  builded,  to  have  continued 
in  his  successors  at  Rome,  and  at  this  present  time. — Archbishop 
Philpot  (martyr  of  1555):  Examinations,  pp.  37,  137. 

Such  as  teach  the  people  to  know  the  church  by  these  signs, 
namely,  by  the  traditions  of  men  and  the  succession  of  bishops, 
teach  wrong. — Bishop  Hooper:  Declaration  of  Christ  and  His  Office, 
1547  A.  D. 

The  Church  is  bound  to  no  sort  of  people,  or  any  ordinary 
succession  of  bishops,  cardinals  or  such  like,  but  unto  the  very 
Word  of  God.— Bishop  Hooper:  Confession  of  Faith,  A.  D.  1550. 

Is  the  Papal  Form  of  Government  Scriptural?  The 
Roman  Catholic  Church  claims  that  there  is  one  holy  and 
infallible  church  with  an  unchanged  form  of  government, 
deriving  its  authority  from  Christ  through  Peter  and  his 
successors.  No  such  claim  can  be  sustained  by  Holy  Scrip- 
ture. 

The  Roman  Claim.  Her  creed  is  now  identical  with  what  it 
was  in  past  ages.  The  same  Gospel  of  peace  that  Jesus  Christ 
preached  on  the  Mount;  the  same  doctrine  that  St.  Peter  preached 
at  Antioch  and  Rome;  St.  Paul  at  Ephesus;  St.  John  Chrysostom 
at  Constantinople;  St.  Augustine  in  Hippo;  St.  Ambrose  in  Milan; 
St.  Remigius  in  France;  St.  Boniface  in  Germany;  St.  Athanasius 
in  Alexandria;  the  same  doctrine  that  St.  Patrick  introduced  into 
Ireland;  that  St.  Augustine  brought  into  England,  and  St.  Pelagius 
into  Scotland,  is  ever  preached  in  the  Catholic  Church  throughout 
the  globe,  from  January  till  December — "Jesus  Christ  yesterday, 
and  to-day,  and  the  same  forever." 

The  same  admirable  unity  that  exists  in  matters  of  faith  is 
also  established  in  the  government  of  the  Church.  All  the  mem- 
bers of  the  vast  body  of  Catholic  Christians  are  as  intimately 
united  to  one  visible  chief  as  the  members  of  the  human  body  are 
joined  to  the  head.  The  faithful  of  each  parish  are  subject  to 
their  immediate  pastor.    Each  pastor  is  subordinate  to  his  bishop, 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION 


and  each  bishop  of  Christendom  acknowledges  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Bishop  of  Rome,  the  successor  of  St.  Peter,  and  head  of  the 
Catholic  Church. 

Jesus,  our  Lord,  founded  but  one  Church,  which  He  was  pleased 
to  build  on  Peter.  Therefore,  any  church  that  does  not  recognize 
Peter  as  its  foundation  stone  is  not  the  Church  of  Christ,  and 
therefore  cannot  stand,  for  it  is  not  the  work  of  God. — Cardinal 
Gibbons:  The  Faith  of  Our  Fathers,  pp.  28-29. 

The  Protestant  answers  that  this  whole  chain  of  reason- 
ing is  artificial,  opposed  to  the  free  spirit  of  the  Kingdom 
of  God  as  Jesus  established  it,  opposed  to  a  reasonable 
interpretation  of  Holy  Scripture,  and  quite  subversive  of 
the  best  life  of  the  Church  both  in  polity  and  in  doctrine. 
The  New  Testament  is  utterly  lacking  in  any  indication 
that  Peter  supposed  himself  to  possess  larger  authority 
than  did  the  other  apostles.  In  their  councils  he  was  one 
among  the  others,  more  ready  of  speech  and  therefore 
sometimes  speaking  more  wisely  and  at  other  times  less 
wisely  than  his  associates ;  a  man  of  more  resourcefulness 
and  initiative  than  most  of  his  companions,  but  in  no  way 
elevated  above  them  in  the  dignity  of  his  office.  Whether 
primacy  existed  in  Jerusalem  appears  not  to  have  been 
manifested  in  Peter  but  in  James,  the  brother  of  the  Lord, 
who  was  not  even  one  of  the  original  twelve.  Far  from 
being  exalted  above  his  brethren,  Peter  was  sometimes 
manifestly  in  the  wrong  and  was  reproved  by  them  (Gal. 
2:11-14).  In  his  letters  to  other  Christian  ministers  he 
claimed  no  sacerdotal  authority,  but  wrote  as  an  elder  to 
other  elders,  saying:  "The  elders  which  are  among  you  I 
exhort,  who  am  also  an  elder"  (I  Peter  5:1).  So  far  from 
his  assuming  a  primacy  as  Bishop  of  Rome  and  transmitting 
that  authority  to  his  successors  in  that  see — 

(a)  We  have  no  evidence  that  Peter  assumed  such 
authority. 

(b)  We  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  if  he  had  assumed 
it,  his  authority  would  have  been  conceded  by  the  others. 

(c)  We  do  not  know  that  Peter  ever  was  in  Rome. 

(d)  If  Peter  was  in  Rome,  we  lack  any  evidence  either 


90  THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

that  he  was  recognized  as  bishop  there  or  that  he  ordained 
any  other  bishop  as  his  successor. 

(e)  If  Peter  was  bishop  of  Rome  and  ordained  a  suc- 
cessor, we  do  not  know  who  that  successor  was.  The  oldest 
lists  which  we  have  of  the  bishops  of  Rome  all  dififer  in 
the  order  of  the  first  bishops  after  Peter. 

Catholicism  Not  Catholic.  But  Catholicism  is  not  even  Cath- 
olic. There  are  several  "Catholicisms";  the  eastern  and  western 
denounce  each  other:  each  is  equally  sure  that  it  is  the  one  Holy, 
Catholic,  and  Apostolic  Church.  Thus  neither  is  Catholic  in  the 
proper  sense  of  the  word,  "universal"  and  "all  inclusive."  Cathol- 
icism completely  repudiates  that  Catholic  idea  which  was  quite 
natural  to  Paul  when  he  wrote  "unto  the  church  of  God  which 
is  at  Corinth,  even  them  that  are  sanctified  in  Christ  Jesus,  called 
saints,  with  all  that  call  upon  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  every  place,  their  Lord  and  ours"  (I  Cor.  1:2).  The  millions 
who  call  on  the  name  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  Protestant 
countries,  and  accept  the  New  Testament  as  the  teaching  of  Christ 
and  the  apostles,  Catholicism  excludes  and  anathematises. — R.  F. 
Horton:  The  Early  Church,  p.  158. 

Was  Peter  the  Rock  of  the  Church?  There  has  been 
much  discussion  as  to  whether  the  rock  to  which  Jesus 
referred  was  Peter  himself  or  Peter's  confession.  Roman 
Catholics  steadfastly  declare  that  Peter  was  the  rock. 
Protestants  generally  have  affirmed  that  the  rock  was 
Peter's  confession  of  Jesus  as  the  Christ.  Peter  certainly 
was  not  the  rock  in  the  sense  of  being  an  official  with  papal 
authority,  entitled  by  virtue  of  his  office  to  lord  it  over  his 
brethren.  Such  authority  he  never  assumed  and  the  apos- 
tles never  acknowledged.  Paul  explicitly  denied  that  Peter 
had  any  more  authority  than  himself  and  placed  upon  rec- 
ord the  fact  that  he  withstood  Peter  to  the  face  on  one 
occasion,  and  on  another  occasion  Paul  declared  that  Peter 
and  his  companions  learned  more  from  Paul  than  Paul  did 
from  Peter.  Yet,  there  is  a  sense  in  which  Peter  may  be 
considered  to  have  been  the  rock.  He  was  the  first  of  the 
apostles  to  confess  his  faith  in  Jesus  as  the  Christ,  and 
thus  was  the  representative  of  all  who  were  to  confess  that 
faith  which  constitutes  the  Church.  The  rock  is  thus  not 
an  impersonal  doctrine,  but  is  composed  of  living  souls 


ECCLESIASTICAL   EVOLUTION 91 

united  in  a  common  faith.  Against  this  rock  the  gates  of 
Hades  hath  not  prevailed  (Matt.  i6:  i8). 

Did  Jesus  Give  to  Peter  the  Power  of  Binding  and 
Loosing?  Jesus  said  to  Peter,  "Whatsoever  thou  shalt 
bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in  heaven"  (Matt.  i6:  19). 
But  these  same  w^ords  which  at  that  moment  applied  in  a 
special  sense  to  Peter  as  the  only  one  at  that  particular 
time  confessing  Christ,  He  shortly  afterward  repeated  with 
particular  reference  to  the  whole  ecclesia.  Not  only  is  the 
plural  number  here  significant,  but  the  connection  is  im- 
portant. "If  he  neglect  to  hear  the  church,  let  him  be  unto 
thee  as  a  heathen  man  and  a  publican.  Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  whatsoever  ye  shall  bind  on  earth  shall  be  bound  in 
heaven"  (Matt.  18:  17,  18).  No  power  was  conferred  upon 
Peter  in  the  earlier  instance  which  was  not  later  explicitly 
delegated  to  the  whole  congregation. 

Is  the  Episcopal  System  Scriptural?  The  theory  of  the 
Episcopal  Church  is  not  that  authority  is  vested  in  a  single 
bishop,  whether  the  Bishop  of  Rome  or  any  other,  but  that 
it  resides  in  the  order  of  bishops  elevated  above  presbyters 
or  pastors,  to  whom  has  descended  the  right  of  government 
through  divine  grace  bestowed  upon  the  original  twelve 
apostles  and  communicated  by  them  to  their  successors, 
the  bishops,  by  whom  that  grace  unchanged  and  undimin- 
ished has  been  preserved  in  unbroken  succession  by  the 
laying  on  of  hands  of  bishops  from  the  twelve  apostles 
down. 

To  this  claim  the  Congregational  and  many  other 
churches  reply :  There  is  no  evidence  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment that  the  twelve  apostles  constituted  an  episcopate,  or 
that  after  the  first  few  years  in  Jerusalem  when  it  was  felt 
to  be  necessary  to  preserve  the  apostolic  group  composed 
of  men  who  had  known  Jesus  in  the  flesh,  any  effort  was 
made  to  keep  up  the  organization  of  the  original  twelve  by 
succession  or  otherwise.  The  apostles  soon  became  more 
than  twelve  in  number,  and  if  this  was  done  by  ordination 
of  the  original  twelve  we  do  not  know  it.    There  is  no  indi- 


92  THE    LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

cation  whatever  that  Paul  or  Barnabas  were  ordained  apos- 
tles by  the  original  apostles.  Paul's  own  account  of  his 
apostleship  is  quite  distinctly  opposed  to  any  such  idea. 
Nor  were  the  bishops  in  the  early  Church  in  any  narrow 
sense  successors  of  the  apostles.  They  succeeded  to  that 
office  only  as  pastors  or  elders.  This  is  what  the  apostles 
called  themselves.  Their  oversight  appears  to  have  been 
one  of  guidance,  as  of  those  who  had  been  closely  asso- 
ciated with  Jesus  and  whose  experience  and  recognized  high 
character  made  it  suitable  for  them  to  give  directions. 
These  directions,  as  is  evident  from  the  fifteenth  chapter 
of  Acts,  were  advisory  and  quite  destitute  of  any  assump- 
tion of  sacerdotal  authority. 

The  Episcopal  Church  in  America  is  suffering,  first  from 
a  belated  recrudescence  of  the  Oxford  movement,  and  sec- 
ondly from  a  foreign  invasion.  The  coming  to  America  in 
recent  years  of  a  considerable  number  of  English  rectors, 
laboring  under  the  delusions  inherited  from  their  experience 
in  a  state  church,  has  resulted  in  the  demand  for  a  new 
name  for  the  Episcopal  Church,  so  chosen  as  to  be  in  the 
highest  degree  offensive  to  other  churches,  and  thoroughly 
false  and  unchristian  in  its  implications. 

The  Primitive  Church.  The  New  Testament  provides  no  clear 
teaching  on  the  subject  of  the  constitution  of  the  Christian  min- 
istry. The  nearer  we  approach  to  the  source  of  the  Christian 
ministry,  the  more  impossible  it  is  to  perceive  its  precise  constitu- 
tion; the  further  we  travel  from  that  source  the  more  definite 
becomes  its  theory,  the  more  extensive  its  claims,  the  more  rigid 
its  form.  Our  historical  scholars  have  recovered  for  us  the  knowl- 
edge of  ecclesiastical  conditions  in  the  first  two  centuries,  and  we 
perceive  that  the  church  then,  when  apostolic  tradition  was  recent 
and  powerful,  was  variously  organized.  In  Asia  Minor  there  were 
bishops;  in  Rome  and  Alexandria  there  were  none.  Along  with 
both  bishops  and  presbyters  were  still  to  be  found  through  most 
part  of  that  period  the  representatives  of  the  oldest  ministry  of 
all,  that  of  prophets  and  apostles,  called  to  their  work  by  direct 
and  manifest  action  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  better  knowledge  of 
the  primitive  Church  is  a  very  recent  thing,  and  has  not  yet  ex- 
tended itself  over  the  greater  part  of  our  communion. — Canon  Hen- 
son:  Westminster  Sermons,  1908. 

A  Sectarian  Catechism.  What,  then,  is  our  title?  We  are 
Catholics. 

Are  we  Protestants?    No. 


ECCLESIASTICAL   EVOLUTION 93 

Are  you  an  Episcopalian?  No;  I  am  not  an  Episcopalian;  I 
am  a  Catholic. 

But  is  not  the  title  of  our  church  in  this  country  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church?     Yes,  but  this  is  only  its  legal  title. 

What  might  we  well  call  our  branch  of  the  Catholic  Church? 
The  American  Church,  or  the  Church  in  America. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  how  is  it  usually  called  by  those  who 
belong  to  it?     It  is  called  the  American  Church. 

Has  God  any  plan  of  salvation?     God  has  a  plan  of  salvation. 

Where  is  it?     It  is  in  His  Church. 

Is  it  of  importance  that  we  belong  to  the  Church  rather  than 
to  some  sect?    Yes. 

Where  does  the  road  to  heaven  lie?  The  way  to  heaven  lies 
through   the  Church. 

Is  membership  in  the  Church  the  same  as  being  saved?  No; 
the  Church  is  the  state  of  salvation. 

Is  there  any  salvation  out  of  the  Church?  There  is  no  salva- 
tion that  we  know  of  out  of  the  Church. 

Is  there  any  good  reason  for  believing  that  there  may  be  an 
invisible  Church,  composed  of  those  only  who  are  good?  There 
is  not  the  slightest  reason  for  believing  any  such  thing. 

How  do  the  sects  differ  from  the  Catholic  Church?  While  it 
was  founded  by  God,  they  were  all  founded  by  men.— PF.  H.  Vibert: 
A  Plain  Catechism  of  Church  Teaching. 

Then  follow  questions  and  answers  dating  the  rise  of 
the  Lutherans  from  Martin  Luther  in  1520;  the  Presby- 
terians from  John  Calvin,  about  1541 ;  the  Baptists  from 
Menno,  about  1551;  the  Congregationalists  from  Robert 
Browne,  in  1585;  the  Quakers  from  George  Fox,  in  1646; 
and  the  Methodists  from  John  Wesley,  in  1752.  In  con- 
tradistinction to  these,  the  Episcopal  Church,  which  is 
called  the  Catholic  Church— the  name  Episcopal  and  that 
of  Protestant  being  carefully  disclaimed — was  founded  by 
"Jesus  Christ,  our  Lord  God,  nearly  2,000  years  ago."  All 
other  founders  it  declares  to  be  dead;  and  it  asks: 

Would  you  rather  belong  to  a  society  whose  founder  always 
lives  to  help  you,  or  to  one  whose  founder  is  dead  and  buried?  I 
would  much  rather  belong  to  a  society  whose  Almighty  Head 
always  lives. 

There  is  more  of  this  in  the  catechism  referred  to,  and 
it  is  only  one  of  several  in  which  the  same  sort  of  thing 
is  found.  Sectarian  bigotry  could  not  go  much  farther. 
No  right  minded  Episcopalian  could  count  it  unreasonable 


94  THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

that  a  Congregationalist,  Methodist,  Presbyterian,  Quaker 
or  Baptist  should  protest  against  such  misrepresentation. 
It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at  that  Episcopalians  who  believe 
such  doctrine  should  seek  to  induce  young  people  in  other 
sects  in  which  is  no  promise  of  salvation,  and  which  are 
all  modern  organizations  whose  founders  are  dead,  to  leave 
those  wicked  organizations,  which  are  specifically  declared 
to  be  guilty  of  sin,  and  to  come  for  salvation  into  that 
"state  of  salvation"  which  is  "the  Church."  The  Episcopal 
Church  has  no  exclusive  right  to  the  title  "the  Church," 
and  the  true  Church  is  very  much  larger  than  these  sec- 
tarian definitions. 

The  following  may  further  illustrate  the  letter  and  spirit 
of  this  offensive  and  misleading  literature : 

History  Made  to  Order.  The  following  denominations  arose 
in  the  sixteenth  century:  Lutheranism  in  Germany;  Presbyterian- 
ism  in  Switzerland;  and  Independency,  now  called  in  the  United 
States  Congregationalism,  in  England.  The  Baptists  appeared  in 
England  about  1611;  and  Methodism  became  a  sect  in  the  eight- 
eenth century.  Smaller  denominations  arose  in  various  ways  and 
times.  To  be  a  part  of  the  Catholic  Church  it  is  necessary  to 
have  Catholic  orders.  These  orders  are  threefold:  Bishop,  priest, 
and  deacon,  and  must  be  had  by  ordination,  or  consecration, 
through  bishops  who  themselves  have  their  orders  without  any 
break  from  the  first  apostles.  This  is  what  is  called  apostolic 
succession.  The  Anglican  Church,  of  which  we  are  a  branch,  can 
prove  historically  that  it  has  this  succession  unbroken. — Elemen- 
tary Notes  on  the  Church,  Tract  Published  by  Young  Churchman 
Company,  pp.  13,  15. 

While  the  foremost  scholars  within  the  Episcopal 
Church  have  been  remarkably  frank  in  acknowledging  the 
independence  of  the  local  churches  in  New  Testament 
times,  and  the  identity  of  bishops  and  presbyters,  the  de- 
mands for  a  controversial  literature  which  can  make  un- 
founded claims  for  that  denomination  has  resulted  in  the 
publication,  by  denominational  houses  that  ought  to  have 
refused  it,  of  a  literature  possible  to  be  produced  by  honest 
men  only  if  they  were  ignorant  of  the  subject  and  not 
otherwise.  Considering  what  the  ablest  Episcopalian  schol- 
ars have  freely  admitted,  and  still  admit,  such  ignorance  is 


ECCLESIASTICAL   EVOLUTION 95 

indeed  colossal,  but  is  the  only  real  qualification  which 
some  of  these  authors  have  for  their  task. 

Where  Ignorance  Is  an  Essential  Qualification.  What  ancient 
ecclesiastical  precedent  is  there  in  favor  of  the  Independent  or 
Congregational  scheme?  I  am  not  aware  that  a  single  precedent 
is  or  ever  has  been  so  alleged. — Thomas  Farrar:  The  Christian  Min- 
istry, Third  London  Edition,  p.  7. 

Is  There  Truth  in  the  Doctrine  of  Apostolic  Succession? 
There  is.  There  always  has  been  somewhere  living  witness 
to  the  truth  in  Christ.  If  no  one  line  can  be  traced  with 
absolute  accuracy,  as  it  cannot,  still  it  is  an  inspiring 
thought  that  in  no  age  since  Jesus  was  among  men  has  the 
light  of  His  gospel  wholly  died  out.  There  has  always 
been  a  Church  since  He  established  it,  and  that  Church 
still  lives,  and  we  belong  to  it.  But  this  succession  is  no 
monopoly  of  any  one  branch  of  the  Church.  Whatever 
truth  there  is  in  the  doctrine  belongs  to  Congregationalists 
as  truly  as  to  any  other  body  of  Christians.  If  the  doctrine 
were  to  be  used  as  an  occasion  of  spiritual  pride  and  arro- 
gance, then  it  is  quite  as  well  that  it  is  uncertain.  Such  a 
doctrine,  if  it  is  to  be  held  at  all,  should  never  be  used  by 
one  church  or  sect  as  ground  to  think  of  itself  more  highly 
than  it  ought  to  think.  So  far  as  the  doctrine  is  true,  its 
truth  is  the  common  heritage  of  Christians. 

Is  the  Presbyterian  Form  of  Government  Scriptural? 
It  is  evident  from  the  epistles  of  the  New  Testament  that 
the  elders  were  entrusted  with  the  general  oversight  and 
direction  in  their  local  churches,  and  that  the  councils  of 
elders  advised  in  matters  pertaining  to  the  common  good. 
It  is  not  apparent,  however,  that  this  rule  of  the  elders  was 
subversive  of  the  ultimate  authority  of  the  church  member- 
ship. The  great  bodies  of  Christians  in  the  United  States, 
who  are  governed  by  their  elders,  have  grown  increasingly 
democratic  with  the  progress  of  the  years.  It  has  become 
practically  true  in  many  cases  that  a  Methodist  or  Presby- 
terian church  calls  its  own  pastor  and  manages  its  own 
affairs  with  little  interference  by  conference  or  presbytery. 
Both  these  great  bodies  are  essentially  Presbyterian,  the 


96  THE    LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

authority  arising  in  the  Methodist  church  through  local, 
state  and  general  conference  composed  of  clerical  and  lay 
delegates,  and  the  Presbyterian  government  ascending 
through  presbytery  and  synod  to  the  General  Assembly 
and  being  composed  of  teaching  and  ruh'ng  elders.  For 
such  an  organization,  with  complicated  machinery  and 
courts  of  appeal,  there  is  no  certain  warrant  in  the  Scripture. 

It  need  hardly  be  noted  in  passing  that  the  Methodist 
Church,  while  Episcopal  in  name  and  while  having  a  group 
of  bishops,  does  not  consider  itself  Episcopal  in  its  govern- 
ment. Its  bishops  constitute  not  an  order  but  an  office. 
The  real  government  is  by  the  elders,  and  that  church  is 
to  be  classed  as  Presbyterian  in  its  form. 

The  forms  of  supervision  and  fellowship  in  this  and 
other  Presbyterian  churches  have  been  fruitful  of  great 
good  in  many  cases,  but  they  also  have  laid  burdens  of 
unscriptural  authority  upon  ministers  and  churches.  The 
Methodist  church  is  admirable  in  its  spirit  of  enterprise; 
it  is  most  praiseworthy  in  its  genius  for  organization, 
enabling  it  almost  to  realize  its  ideal  of  providing  a  church 
for  every  pastor  and  a  pastor  for  every  church;  still  it 
exercises  in  some  cases  a  practically  tyrannical  authority 
over  its  ministry.  The  Presbyterian  church  has  a  noble 
history;  and  it  has  a  fine  type  of  Christian  character  in  its 
ministry  and  membership ;  still  it  has  a  system  of  creed 
tests  and  a  fatally  convenient  machinery  for  heresy  trials 
which  have  not  served  to  keep  it  purer  than  other  denom- 
inations, and  often  have  led  to  burdensome  and  unhappy 
results. 

In  the  main  the  Presbyterian  Church  has  stood  with  the 
Congregational  churches  for  the  distinctive  principles  of 
Puritanism  and  progress.  But  instances  have  not  been 
lacking  in  this  country,  as  in  the  discussions  between  the 
old  and  new  schools,  in  which  it  has  been  apparent  that  a 
government  by  presbyters  could  be  as  dangerous  to  liberty 
as  a  government  by  bishops.  Even  so  in  the  beginning  of 
the  English  Reformation  it  was  discovered  that  "new  pres- 


ECCLESIASTICAL   EVOLUTION 97 

byter  is  but  old  priest  writ  large."  It  would  be  ungracious 
to  speak  much  of  the  intolerance  of  early  days  when  all  men 
were  intolerant  to  a  greater  or  less  degree,  but  that  branch 
of  Puritanism  which  developed  into  Presbyterianism  was 
on  the  whole  less  favorable  to  progress  than  that  which 
developed  into  Congregationalism.  Robert  Browne  was 
able  to  write  with  good  nature  and  a  quiet  humor  of  his 
experiences  and  to  recall  that  the  spirit  of  ecclesiastical 
tyranny  was  able  to  express  itself  as  effective  through  pres- 
byters as  through  popes  with  this  disadvantage  that  the 
presbyters  are  more  numerous. 

Robert  Browne  on  Official  Tyranny.  This  therefore  is  my 
ludgement,  good  Vncle,  that  though  the  names  of  pastors,  doctors 
&  presbyters  be  lawful,  being  found  in  the  scriptures,  yet  that  a 
pope  or  proud  popelinge  may  ly  hyd  vnder  the  names.  Yea,  and 
further  I  ludge,  that  if  the  Parliament  should  establish  such 
names,  &  those  the  officers  according  to  those  names,  which  seek 
their  owne  discipline,  that  then  in  stead  of  one  Pope  we  should 
haue  a  thousand,  &  of  some  Lord  Byshops  in  name  a  thousand 
Lordly  Tyrants  in  deed,  which  do  now  disdain  the  name.  This 
haue  I  found  by  experience  to  be  trewe,  both  in  forreine  contries 
and  mine  owne  Contrie.  I  can  testify  by  trial  of  Scotland,  where 
the  preachers  hauing  no  names  of  bishops  did  imprison  me  more 
wrongfully  than  anie  Bishop  would  haue  done,  so  theis  hauing 
nether  the  name  nor  the  power  yet  haue  vsurped  more  than  the 
Byshops  which  haue  power.  For  before  my  first  vyoag  beyond 
sea,  &  sence  my  last  retourne,  I  haue  been  in  more  than  twentie 
prisons.  And  for  once  imprisoned  by  the  byshops  I  haue  been 
more  than  thrise  imprisoned  by  the  preachers  or  their  procuringe. 
A  New  Years  Guift,  pp.  25-27. 

What  Do  Congregationalists  Teach  Concerning  the 
Apostolic  Church?  In  the  light  of  the  foregoing  facts,  and 
of  many  more  that  might  be  added,  Congregationalists  hold 
that  the  churches  of  the  New  Testament  were  independent, 
self-governing  local  congregations,  united  in  their  love  of 
Christ,  and  expressing  their  fellowship  through  occasional 
representative  gatherings  which  gave  valued  advice  but 
were  destitute  of  ecclesiastical  control.  The  autonomy  of 
the  local  church  and  the  fellowship  of  all  the  churches  are 
two  fundamental  principles  of  Congregationalism,  and 
appear  to  have  been  fundamental  also  in  the  early  Church. 
How  Far  a  Pattern?      The    early    fathers    of    modern    Congrega- 


98  THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

tionalism  held  that  "the  facts  of  Church  government  are  all  of 
them  exactly  described  in  the  Word  of  God  .  .  .  and  therefore 
to  continue  one  and  the  same  unto  the  appearing  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  ...  So  that  it  is  not  left  in  the  power  of  men, 
ofificers,  churches,  or  any  state  in  the  world  to  add,  to  diminish, 
or  alter  anything  in  the  least  measure  therein." — Cambridge  Plat- 
form, 1648. 

Of  current  Congregationalism,  Dr.  Boynton  declared:  We  are 
disposed  to  claim  in  these  days  only  that  the  principles  for  the 
organization  of  Christian  churches  are  given  us  in  the  few  com- 
mands of  the  Master  and  the  apostles,  and  in  the  wider  illustra- 
tions to  be  seen  in  their  example. — Congregational  Way,  p.  16. 

Prof.  WilHston  Walker  says:  Congregationalism  has  given  a 
normal  value  even  to  the  most  incidental  variations  as  to  Church 
usages  of  the  New  Testament,  more  fully  than  any  other  system 
of  ecclesiastical  polity. — Hist.  Cong.  Churches. 

Commenting  on  the  foregoing.  Dr.  Boynton  says:  But  we  do 
not  claim  that  Jesus  or  his  first  disciples  set  out  to  organize  a 
form  of  government,  or  that,  if  they  had  done  so,  it  would  have 
been  the  unvarying  duty  of  their  successors  exactly  to  follow  the 
pattern  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances.  We  have  no 
objection  to  a  number  of  churches  organizing  under  a  bishop  of 
their  own  appointment,  to  whom  a  large  amount  of  responsibility 
for  their  general  conduct  shall  be  given.  Indeed,  we  can  see  under 
many  conditions  how  this  may  be  proper  and  wise.  Nor  do  we 
know  of  any  reason  why  it  is  not  allowable  for  individual  churches 
to  put  authority,  which  they  might  not  think  it  best  to  exercise 
alone,  into  the  hands  of  the  whole  or  of  a  group.  We  only  claim 
that,  as  we  study  the  New  Testament  churches,  we  find  more 
which  bears  resemblance  to  fellowship  based  upon  independence 
than  to  anything  which  might  be  called  church  government. — Con- 
gregational Way,  p.  17. 

Gradual  Development  as  Need  Arose.  In  this  way  churches 
sprang  up.  No  careful  outline  of  their  organization  was  revealed 
by  Christ  or  conceived  by  his  apostles.  They  came  into  being  as 
Christians  found  themselves  drawn  to  one  another  by  common 
love  and  service  to  one  Lord,  and  as  they  were  led  by  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  feel  that  in  such  fellowship  they  could  best  express  their 
inward  union  and  best  fulfill  the  purpose  for  which  they  repre- 
sented their  Lord  in  the  world.  The  result  of  this  process  of 
organization  was  Congregationalism. — Dunning:  Congregational- 
ists,  p.  50. 

Is  Congregationalism  Biblical?  Congregationalists  do 
not  claim  that  the  government  of  the  early  Church  was  so 
rigid  in  its  prescribed  forms  that  no  development  of  organic 
life  should  be  undertaken  without  specific  authority  of 
Scripture;  and  they  have  been  the  most  earnest  promoters 
of  Sunday  schools,  Christian  Endeavor  societies  and  mis- 
sionary and  educational  organizations.     But  they  do  claim 


ECCLESIASTICAL   EVOLUTION  99 

that  the  organization  of  the  Church  should  develop  along 
lines  that  leave  unimpaired  the  essential  principles  of  the 
New  Testament  organization;  and  this  they  steadfastly 
endeavor  to  do.  Thus  there  are  few  church  organizations, 
if  any,  more  stable  in  their  fundamental  principles,  or  more 
flexible  in  their  adaptations.  Congregationalists  are  confi- 
dent, first,  that  their  government  is  built  on  the  one  and 
abiding  Foundation,  the  authority  of  Christ  and  the  prac- 
tice of  the  apostles;  and,  secondly,  that  where  the  Spirit 
of  the  Lord  is,  there  is  liberty  of  adaptation  without  sacri- 
fice of  essential  principle. 

When  it  is  affirmed  that  the  Congregational  system  of 
church  government  is  scriptural,  it  is  not  intended  to  de- 
clare that  no  modification  whatever  has  been  made  of  New 
Testament  forms,  or  even  that  those  forms  of  government 
are  so  rigidly  defined  that  any  one  denomination  can  claim 
a  monopoly  of  the  right  to  call  itself  a  true  Christian  church, 
but  three  things  may  truthfully  be  claimed  on  behalf  of 
the  scriptural  authority  of  the  Congregational  churches : 

(i)  It  is  clearly  taught  in  the  New  Testament  that  each 
local  church  was  independent  of  all  ecclesiastical  control 
and  free  in  the  management  of  its  own  affairs. 

(2)  The  New  Testament  teaches  that  the  bishops  of 
the  New  Testament  were  not  elevated  in  rank  above  the 
presbyters,  but  that  every  presbyter  was  a  bishop  and 
every  bishop  a  presbyter. 

(3)  That,  while  the  New  Testament  churches  had  fel- 
lowship one  with  another  and  exercised  that  fellowship 
through  instruction  by  the  apostles  and  their  associates  and 
by  other  good  men,  and  by  councils  convened  for  advice  in 
matters  of  general  concern,  neither  apostle  nor  council 
claimed  the  right  to  exercise  arbitrary  control  over  any 
local  church  or  its  pastor. 

In  these  three  particulars  Congregationalists  claim  to 
have  preserved  the  essential  character  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment churches. 

The  Congregational  Principle  Biblical.    If  this  principle  of  the 


100         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

independence  of  the  local  churches  be  conceded  as  an  historical 
fact,  then  Congregationalism  follows.  This  must  be  so,  since 
Congregationalism  is  only  the  development  of  this  principle  into 
the  methods  of  church  fellowship.  The  only  escape  is  in  ecclesi- 
astical rationalism,  or  in  an  inner  light,  or  in  tradition,  or  in 
decrees  of  an  infallible  church;  that  is,  one  or  more  of  the  other 
than  scriptural  standards  must  be  the  ground  of  confidence.  The 
competency  of  the  New  Testament  and  of  the  apostles  must  be 
denied.  This  is  done  by  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  the  Greek 
Church,  the  controlling  part  of  the  Anglican  Church,  the  Quakers, 
the  Socinians,  and  the  Rationalists,  while  others  declare  that 
Christ  has  not  definitely  specified  the  form  of  church  polity;  as 
though  a  polity  not  drawn  out  in  detail  could  not  have  been  deter- 
mined by  revealing  its  constitutive  principle.  We  have  shown  that 
a  single  principle  dominates  each  of  the  four  great  polities  that 
divide  Christendom,  and  that,  therefore,  no  definitely  specified 
form  of  church  polity  is  needed  in  order  to  develop  a  complete 
system.  The  oak  is  in  the  acorn;  and  a  polity  is  in  its  constitutive 
principle. — Ross:  Church-Kingdom,  pp.  128,  129. 

Principles  and  Growth.  Our  polity  is  a  matter  of  principles,  and 
therefore  a  thing  of  life;  being  a  matter  of  principles  and  a  thing 
of  life,  it  is  also  a  subject  of  growth.  The  growing  life  must  adapt 
itself  to,  and  be  modified  by,  the  environments;  it  must  also  itself 
assimilate  and  modify  the  environments.  That  which  makes  it 
sui  generis  a  true  church  polity  cannot  be  modified;  all  else  may 
be.  Indeed,  when  we  observe  how  changes  carry  the  day  in  all 
matters  of  human  thought  and  activities,  we  are  ready  to  say,  "All 
else  except  the  fundamental  and  characteristic  principles  will  be 
changed." — Ladd:  Principles  of  Church  Polity,  p.  62. 

Freedom  of  Development.  If  the  Christian  Church  is  a  divine 
institution,  under  divine  guidance,  it  must  be  free  at  any  period 
to  adapt  the  fundamental  principles  which  it  derives  from  Christ 
to  the  exigencies  of  its  life.  So  far  as  it  follows  that  divine  guid- 
ance, it  is  not  only  free  to  do  so,  but  competent  to  do  so. — Heer- 
mance:  Democracy  in  the  Church,  p.  2. 

Power  of  Adaptation.  There  is  no  limit  to  the  power  of  adapta- 
tion which  our  system  possesses.  We  are  not  faithful  to  our  ideal, 
if  we  do  not  avail  ourselves  of  it.  .  .  .  So  far  as  methods  are 
concerned,  the  Church  has  power  to  put  on  institutions  when  it 
wants  them,  and  to  put  them  oflf  when  it  is  done  with  them. — 
Macfadyen:  Constructive  Congregational  Ideals,  pp.  116,  119. 

Ecclesiastical  Law  a  Gradual  Development,  Ecclesiastical  Law 
did  not  arise  in  any  sense  as  the  working  out  of  a  principle,  but 
it  developed  gradually,  and,  so  to  speak,  from  case  to  case. — 
Harnack:  Constitution  and  Law  of  the  Church,  p.  145. 

Is  New  Testament  Usage  Decisive?  If  we  had  a  plain 
command  of  the  Lord  Jesus  that  the  Church  should  forever 
be  organized  and  conducted  on  a  given  plan,  and  precisely 
according  to  certain  specific  rules,  the  usage  of  the  New 
Testament  would  be   decisive   for   modern  times  and  all 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION 101 

times.  But  what  we  have  is  not  of  this  character.  We 
have  few  definite  commands,  and  these  we  regard  as  of 
permanent  obligation,  and  we  have  some  clear  indications 
of  apostolic  usage ;  but  the  Church  is  still  guided  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  can  work  out  its  polity  according  to  the 
needs  of  each  successive  age,  holding  always  in  plain  view 
the  fundamental  principles  which  our  Lord  delivered  to 
his  disciples. 

Permanence  of  Form  of  Church  Government.  The  Discipline 
appointed  by  Jesus  Christ  for  his  Churches  is  not  arbitrary,  that 
one  Church  may  set  up  and  practice  one  forme,  and  another  an- 
other forme,  as  each  one  shall  please,  but  is  one  and  the  same  for 
all  Churches,  and  in  all  the  Essentials  and  Substantialls  of  it  un- 
changeable, and  to  be  kept  till  the  appearing  of  Jesus  Christ.  And 
if  that  Discipline  which  we  here  practice,  be  (as  we  are  perswaded 
of  it)  the  same  which  Christ  hath  appointed  and  therefore  unalter- 
able, we  see  not  how  another  can  be  lawful;  and  therefore  if  a 
company  of  people  shall  come  hither,  and  here  set  up  and  practice 
another,  we  pray  you  thinke  not  much,  if  we  can  not  promise  to 
approve  them  in  so  doing. — Richard  Mather:  Answer  of  the  Elders, 
83. 

A  certain  presumption  is  created  in  favor  of  Congregational 
principles  when  it  is  shown  that  the  polity  of  the  apostolic 
churches  was  Congregational;  but  the  presumption  falls  far  short 
of  a  proof  that  the  Congregational  polity  is  of  permanent  divine 
authority.  That  the  apostolic  churches  were  Congregational  does 
not  even  amount  to  a  proof  that  Congregationalism  is  permanently 
expedient.  Between  a  form  of  church  government  and  those  great 
truths  concerning  Christ  and  the  Christian  redemption  which  form 
the  chief  part  of  the  substance  of  the  New  Testament  there  is 
an  obvious  diflFerence.  What  is  true  once  is  true  forever.  That 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  the  Son  of  God,  that  He  died  for  the 
remission  of  sins,  that  He  rose  from  the  dead,  and  received  "all 
authority  ...  in  heaven  and  on  earth,"  must  have  been  just 
as  true  in  the  second  century  as  in  the  first,  and  in  the  third  cen- 
tury as  in  the  second.  But  a  form  of  church  government  which 
was  the  best  possible  organization  for  the  Church  of  the  first 
century  may,  perhaps,  have  been  the  worst  possible  organization 
for  the  Church  of  the  third.— Dale:  Congregational  Manual,  pp.  4,  5. 


VI.    THE  MODERN  CHURCH 

What  Is  a  Church?  A  church  is  an  organized  body  of 
Christian  people,  associated  for  worship,  religious  instruc- 
tion, and  fellowship  in  service,  meeting  statedly  together 
and  acknowledging  the  same  ecclesiastical  usage  or  author- 
ity. 

Dexter's  Definition.  A  church  is  an  association  of  the  friends 
and  followers  of  Christ,  for  the  profession  of  Christian  faith,  and 
the  performance  of  Christian  duty.  .  .  .  Any  company  of  peo- 
ple believing  themselves  to  be,  and  publicly  professing  themselves 
to  be  Christians,  associated  by  voluntary  compact,  on  gospel  prin- 
ciples, for  Christian  w^ork  and  worship,  is  a  church. — Congrega- 
tionalism, pp.  25,  34. 

Boynton's  Definition.  A  church  is  a  body  of  believers  who 
covenant  with  each  other  for  the  purposes  of  worship,  of  mutual 
helpfulness  in  the  religious  life  and  of  working  together  to  extend 
the  kingdom  of  God. — The  Congregational  Way,  p.  51. 

These  and  similar  definitions  describe  the  local  body  of 

believers  who  constitute  the  church.     This  is  the  primary 

use  of  the  term  in  the  New  Testament.     "The  Church  in 

Jerusalem,"  "the  Church  in  Corinth,"  "the  Church  in  Anti- 

och"  is  the  local  congregation,  composed  of  the  believers 

in  a  given  community,  meeting  statedly  for  worship  and 

fellowship  in  the  spirit  of  Christ.     There  is  one  and  only 

one  other  use  of  the  word  church  in  the  New  Testament. 

That  use  is  inclusive  of  the  whole  body  of  believers,  and 

characterizes  the  definitions  of  Congregational  authorities 

from  the  beginning. 

John  Robinson's  Definition.  A  church  is  a  company  of  faithful, 
holy  people,  with  their  seed,  called  by  the  Word  of  God  into  a 
public  covenant  with  Christ,  and  among  themselves,  for  mutual 
fellowship,  in  the  use  of  all  the  means  of  God's  glory  and  their 
salvation. — Apology. 

Cambridge  Platform.  A  Congregational  church  is  by  the  insti- 
tution of  Christ  a  part  of  the  militant  visible  church,  consisting  of 
a  company  of  saints  by  calling,  united  into  one  body  bv  a  holy 
covenant,  for  the  public  worship  of  God,  and  the  mutual  edification 
one  of  another,  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Lord  Jesus. — ii,  6. 

Punchard's  Definition.  A  Christian  church  is  a  voluntary  asso- 
ciation of  persons  professing  repentance  for  sin  and  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ,  united  together  by  a  solemn  covenant  for  the  worship  of 
God  and  the  celebration  of  religious  ordinances. — This  company 


ECCLESIASTICAL   EVOLUTION 103 

should  ordinarily  consist  of  no  more  than  can  conveniently  and 
statedly  meet  together  for  religious  purposes. — To  this  assembly 
all  executive  ecclesiastical  or  church  power  is  intrusted  by  Jesus 
Christ,  the  great  Head  of  the  Church. — History,  13,  14. 

Henry  Jacob's  Definition.  Every  particular  ordinary  congrega- 
tion of  faithful  people  in  England  is  a  true  and  proper  visible 
Church,  jure  divino — by  right  from  God. — Reasons  for  Reforming. 

The  Latin  Definition.  The  company  of  Christians  knit  together 
by  the  profession  of  the  same  faith,  and  the  communion  of  the 
same  sacraments,  under  the  government  of  lawful  pastors,  and 
especially  of  the  Roman  bishop,  as  the  only  vicar  of  Christ  on 
earth. — Bellarmine  De  Eccl.  Mil.,  iii,  2. 

The  Church  of  England  Definition.  A  congregation  of  faithful 
men,  in  which  the  pure  Word  of  God  is  preached,  and  the  sacra- 
ments duly  administered  according  to  Christ's  ordinances,  in  all 
those  things  that  of  necessity  are  requisite  to  the  same. — Thirty- 
Nine  Articles,  art.  xix. 

The  Augsburg  Definition.  A  congregation  of  saints,  in  which 
the  gospel  is  purely  preached,  and  the  sacraments  are  rightly  ad- 
ministered.— Aug.  Conf.,  art.  vii. 

The  Belgic  Definition.  A  true  congregation  or  assembly  of  all 
faithful  Christians,  who  look  for  their  salvation  only  from  Jesus 
Christ,  as  being  washed  by  His  blood  and  sanctified  by  His  Spirit. 
— Belg.  Conf.,  art.  xxvii. 

The  Saxon  Definition.  A  congregation  of  men  embracing  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  and  rightly  using  the  sacraments. — Saxon  Conf., 
art.  xii. 

The  Four  Conditions  of  a  Church.  First,  there  must  be  a  com- 
pany of  Christians,  a  group  of  persons  who  have  taken  Him  for 
their  spiritual  Master.  .  .  .  Second,  there  must  be  organiza- 
tion, or  at  least  habitual  association  with  an  implied  agreement  to 
live  together  as  a  Christian  company.  .  .  .  Third,  the  object 
of  such  association  must  be  not  merely  occasional  worship,  but  a 
common  life,  as  including  both  work  and  worship.  .  .  .  Fourth, 
the  company  must  "have  his  commandments  and  keep  them."  .  .  . 
Wherever,  and  just  as  far  as,  these  four  simple  conditions  are 
fulfilled,  if  it  be  only  among  two  or  three,  there  is  a  true  church 
of  Christ. — Heermance:  Democracy  in  the  Church,  pp.  12,  13. 

A  Negative  Definition.  A  Christian  church,  therefore,  is  not  a 
confederation  of  many  local  congregations,  under  some  one  gen- 
eral head,  whether  that  be  a  person,  as  bishop,  patriarch,  or  pope; 
or  under  some  system  of  government,  as  presbytery,  synod,  con- 
ference, or  assembly.  It  is  not  an  ecclesiastical  system,  extending 
over  a  wide  area  of  country,  claiming  the  right  of  control  of  all 
of  similar  faith  within  such  territory. — Hiscox:  Baptist  Directory, 
p.  35. 

What  Is  the  Church?  The  answer  to  the  question, 
"What  is  the  Church?"  must  depend  upon  whether  we  are 
speaking  of  the  visible  or  the  invisible  Church.  The  visible 


104         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

Church  is  the  whole  body  of  those  who  are  united  under 
various  names  in  different  organizations  for  effective  fel- 
lowship and  Christian  activity  in  the  world,  and  whose 
acknowledged  head  is  Jesus  Christ.  The  invisible  Church 
is  inclusive  of  all  who  have  the  Spirit  of  Christ,  whether 
members  of  the  visible  Churqh  or  not. 

The  Greek  Definition.  The  Church  is  a  divinely  instituted  com- 
munity of  men,  united  by  the  orthodox  faith,  the  law  of  God,  the 
Hierarchy,  and  the  sacraments. — Full  Catec.  of  the  Orthodox  Est. 
Church. 

The  Helvetic  Definition.  The  Church  is  a  community  of  be- 
lievers, or  saints,  gathered  out  of  the  world,  whose  distinction  is 
to  know  and  to  worship,  through  the  Word  and  by  the  Spirit,  the 
true  God  in  Christ  the  Saviour. — Helv.  Conf.,  art.  vcii. 

One  Church  and  Many.  The  Church  is  one  in  nature,  not  one 
in  number,  as  one  ocean.  Neither  was  the  church  at  Rome,  in  the 
apostles'  days,  more  one  with  the  church  at  Corinth  than  was  the 
baptism  of  Peter  one  with  Paul's  baptism,  or  than  Peter  and  Paul 
were  one. — John  Robinson:  Apology,  in  Hanbury,  i,  374. 

The  Christian  church  is  universal,  not  tied  to  nation,  diocese, 
or  parish,  but  consisting  of  many  particular  churches,  complete  in 
themselves. — John  Milton:  To  Salmasius,  in  Hanbury,  iii,  373. 

The  Organized  Church.  Christ  teacheth,  yea  requireth,  in 
Matt.  18:  17,  that  this  visible  and  ministerial  church  shall  be  ever 
of  one  entire  outward  form,  viz.,  of  this  special  form  of  a  par- 
ticular ordinary  congregation  and  none  other,  .  .  .  and  the 
very  word  ecclesia  doth  properly  signify  so. — Henry  Jacob:  Divine 
Beginning  and  Institution  of  Christ's  Church. 

Is  the  Visible  the  Same  as  the  Invisible  Church?  The 
visible  Church  is  not  the  same  as  the  invisible  Church. 
The  two  are  related  as  the  body  and  soul  are  related.  As 
the  body  can  grow  out  of  proportion  to  the  soul,  so  the 
visible  Church  may  grow  without  the  corresponding  growth 
ot  the  spiritual  organization  which  is  its  soul.  Conversely, 
as  the  body  can  be  mutilated  and  still  the  life  maintained, 
the  invisible  Church  can  survive  the  cutting  off  of  portions 
of  the  visible  Church.  The  invisible  Church  is  composed 
of  all  who  have  the  spirit  of  Christ  everywhere.  While 
many  of  them  are  outside  the  visible  Church,  it  may  rever- 
ently be  hoped  that  there  are  many  who  are  within  the 
invisible  organization.  Not  all  are  Israel  who  are  of  Israel. 
There  are  those  in  the  visible  Church  who  have  not  the 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION  105 

Spirit  of  Christ,  and  hence  are  not  members  of  the  true 
and  invisible  Church.  There  are  those  outside  the  visible 
Church  who  have  the  spirit  of  Christ,  and  hence  are  mem- 
bers of  the  invisible  Church.  "As  many  as  are  led  by  the 
spirit  of  God,  these  are  sons  of  God"  (Romans  8:  14).  We 
have  reason  to  believe  that  the  invisible  Church  is  very 
much  larger  than  the  visible  Church. 

Visible  and  Invisible.  This  militant  Church  is  to  be  considered 
as  invisible  and  visible.  Invisible,  in  respect  of  their  relation 
wherein  they  stand  to  Christ,  as  a  body  unto  the  head,  being 
united  unto  him  by  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  faith  in  their  hearts. 
Visible,  in  respect  of  the  profession  of  their  faith,  in  their  persons, 
and  in  particular  churches.  And  so  there  may  be  acknowledged  an 
universal  visible  Church. — Cambridge  Platform,  ii,  3. 

There  is  a  visible  and  invisible  church.  The  invisible  Church 
comprehends  all  real  saints,  or  all  of  mankind,  who  will  be  finally 
sanctified  and  saved.  But  by  a  visible  church  we  are  to  under- 
stand a  society  of  visible  saints.  By  visible  saints  are  meant  such 
as  profess  to  be  real  saints  and  appear  to  be  so  in  the  eye  of  Chris- 
tian charity.  Such  persons  as  these  are  the  materials  of  which  a 
church  of  Christ  is  formed. — Emmons:  Platform  Eccl.  Govt.,  i. 

Invisibility  Above  Visibility.  The  fact  that  there  is  upon  earth 
a  holy  Christian  people,  redeemed  by  Christ,  translated  by  faith 
out  of  the  bondage  of  servants  into  the  adoption  of  sons,  bearing 
in  itself  life  from  God,  can  only  be  believed  and  not  seen.  The 
Church  of  Christ  is  an  object  of  belief  (or  faith),  therefore  for 
the  believer  it  is  necessarily  visible  (in  Word  and  Sacrament),  but 
just  as  necessarily  invisible  to  the  world  (in  forms  of  Law).  The 
invisibility  of  the  Church  of  Christ  removes  it  of  necessity  from 
the  region  of  Law.  The  legally  constituted  church  can  never,  as 
such,  be  the  Church  of  Christ,  and,  therefore  can  never  speak  in 
the  name  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  can  never  enforce  its  ordinances 
as  the  ordering  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  as  the  ordering  of  the 
life  of  Christian  men  with  God,  because  the  Church  of  Christ  is 
beyond  the  range  of  all  legal  order. — S'o^w.'Wesen  u.  Ursprung  d. 
Katholizismus,  pp.  11  et  seq. 

The  Celestial  Church.  The  Christian  community  in  every  city 
M  not  only  a  Church  of  God,  but,  like  the  latter,  it  belongs  properly 
to  heaven.  .  .  .  What  may  be  called  with  some  reservations 
the  spiritual  democracy  within  the  whole  Church,  and  therefore 
also  within  the  individual  community,  comes  into  viev/  very  clearly 
in  the  attitude  which  Paul  takes  up  in  his  epistles  to  the  communi- 
ties.— Harnack:  Constitution  and  Law  of  the  Church,  p.  49. 

The  Church  Militant  and  Triumphant.  The  Church,  for  all  her 
advanced  age,  for  all  her  apparent  want  of  anxiety  as  to  the 
imminence  of  the  final  judgment  and  for  all  the  long  future  which 
she  anticipates  still  on  the  earth,  regards  herself  nevertheless  as  a 
provisional  institution,  a  transitional  organization.  The  Church  of 
the  world,  called  the  Church  Militant,  is,  as  it  were,  the  vestibule 


106       THE    LAW     OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

of  the  Church  triumphant,  which  is  the  Kingdom  of  heaven  realized 
in  eternity. — Loisy:  The  Gospel  and  the  Church,  p.  168. 

What  Is  a  Denomination?  A  denomination  is  a  body 
of  Christian  churches  united  under  a  common  name  and 
recognizing  common  principles  of  faith  and  government. 

What  Is  a  Sect?  A  sect  is  an  integral  section  or  unified 
portion  of  the  whole  Church  of  Christ  united  under  a  com- 
mon name  or  form  of  worship  and  fellowship.  The  term 
sect  is  essentially  equivalent  to  that  of  denomination.  But 
etymologically  the  term  denomination  is  restricted  to  a 
body  of  churches  bearing  a  common  name,  and  the  term 
sect  is  commonly  used  in  a  reprehensible  sense.  The  term 
sect  implies  the  state  of  being  severed  or  cut  ofT,  and  gen- 
erally carries  with  it  a  certain  implication  of  wilful  division. 
As  so  used,  it  is  an  uncharitable  term  and  often  untrue  in 
its  implication. 

What  Is  a  Sectarian?  Primarily  a  sectarian  is  any  per- 
son belonging  to  a  sect.  In  this  sense  the  term  could  truth- 
fully be  applied  to  any  Christian  since  the  days  of  the 
apostles,  and  even  to  most  Christians  in  the  apostles'  day. 
The  term  sectarian  implies  the  spirit  of  wilful  separation. 
A  person  may  belong  to  a  sect  and  be  loyal  to  it  in  the 
sense  of  believing  in  its  principles  and  faithfully  laboring 
for  its  prosperity,  but  without  manifesting  or  cherishing  a 
spirit  that  could  truthfully  be  called  sectarian.  In  the  same 
sense  a  citizen  may  vote  for  the  candidates  of  a  given 
political  party  without  manifesting  a  spirit  that  can  truth- 
fully be  described  as  partisan.  A  sectarian  is  one  who 
possesses  a  sectarian  spirit,  and  who  for  the  sake  of  sect 
wilfully  severs  himself  from  other  Christians,  with  whom 
he  might  be  in  fellowship. 

Is  It  Possible  for  Any  Christian  to  Escape  Sectarianism? 
It  is  not  possible  for  any  modern  Christian  to  be  in  fellow- 
ship with  other  Christians  and  not  be  in  a  sect.  Any  part 
is  less  than  th^  whole,  and  no  one  part  or  member  of  the 
body  of  Christ  is  the  whole  body,  or  has  any  right  to  speak 
of  itself  as  such.     It  is  uncharitable  for  any  Christian  to 


ECCLESIASTICAL   EVOLUTION  107 

speak  of  any  group  of  Christians  as  belonging  to  a  sect 
unless  he  includes  his  own  group  or  denomination  in  the 
same  term. 

Withdrawing  from  all  sects  merely  carries  sectarianism 
to  its  outermost  limit.  He  who  seeks  catholicity  by  with- 
drawing from  all  fellowship  with  the  organic  life  of  other 
Christians  thereby  establishes  an  atomistic  sect,  the  small- 
est possible,  and  often  the  narrowest  conceivable.  It  is 
possible  for  a  person  to  throw  off  allegiance  to  all  human 
governments,  but  he  does  not  thereby  become  a  citizen  of 
the  whole  world.  Dr.  Hale's  "Man  Without  a  Country" 
is  not  the  ideal  world-citizen,  nor  is  the  Christian  without 
a  church  either  logically  or  practically  non-sectarian. 
Islanders  are  not  the  most  broadly  cosmopolitan  people  in 
the  world.  The  prayer  of  Christ  for  his  disciples  is  not 
that  they  may  be  taken  out  of  the  world,  nor  out  of  associ- 
ation with  their  fellow  Christians;  nor  is  it  incumbent 
upon  any  one  Christian  presently  to  bring  in  the  millennium 
of  organic  unity.  It  is  his  duty  to  use  the  world  as  not 
abusing  it,  and  to  live  in  that  sect  in  which  he  can  best 
serve  God  without  cherishing  a  sectarian  spirit.  One  of 
the  first  steps  toward  the  cultivation  of  an  unsectarian 
spirit  should  be  each  Christian's  frank  recognition  of  his 
own  inevitable  relationship  to  some  particular  branch  of 
the  Church  of  Christ,  and  to  use  that  relationship  in  the 
spirit  of  the  broadest  Christian  sympathy  and  largest  prac- 
tical co-operation.  No  citizen  can  be  simultaneously  a 
voter  in  every  country,  or  a  soldier  under  every  flag.  That 
man  is  the  best  citizen  of  the  world  who  is  the  best  citizen 
of  his  own  country,  and  who  holds  that  citizenship  in  the 
broadest,  freest  and  most  peace-loving  spirit. 

Is  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  Identical  with  the  Church? 
The  Kingdom  of  Heaven  which  Jesus  preached  finds  its 
organic  expression  in  the  life  of  the  visible  Church.  It 
docs  not  follow,  however,  that  the  terms  "kingdom"  and 
"church"  are  synonymaus.  When  these  terms  are  used 
interchangeably  in  argument,  confusion  of  thought  is  in- 


108        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

evitable.  Illustrations  may  be  found  in  certain  polemic 
articles  based  on  the  statement  in  Acts  1:3,  in  which  it  is 
affirmed  that  Jesus  during  the  forty  days  spoke  to  the  dis- 
ciples "concerning  the  Kingdom  of  God."  Certain  sectarian 
writers  have  read  into  this  statement  a  declaration  that 
during  the  forty  days  Jesus  must  have  revealed  the  whole 
system  of  church  government  which  the  adherents  of  these 
sects  declare  to  be  apostolic.  The  kingdom  of  heaven  is 
within  the  disciples.  It  is  not  an  outward  and  visible  thing 
which  one  may  locate,  saying,  "Lo  here,"  and  "Lo  there." 
The  Kingdom  of  God  is  invisible,  but  the  organized  church 
is  a  visible  form  of  the  invisible  kingdom. 

The  Kingdom  and  the  Church.  Christ  used  the  phrase  kingdom 
of  heaven,  or  its  equivalent,  as  recorded  by  Matthew,  thirty-six 
times;  but  he  used  the  vi^ord  church  in  only  two  passages  (Matt. 
16:  18;  18:  17).  On  the  contrary,  his  apostles  used  the  phrase  king- 
dom of  heaven,  or  its  equivalent,  in  the  Acts  and  Epistles,  thirty- 
one  times,  and  the  word  church  one  hundred  and  twelve  times. 
The  kingdom  was  becoming  visible  in  organic  form,  and  men  spoke 
of  the  kingdom  less  and  less,  but  of  the  churches  more  and  more. — 
Ross:  Church  Kingdom,  pp.  42,  43. 

Is  the  Church  Building  the  Church?  In  the  New  Testa- 
ment, the  place  of  worship  is  never  spoken  of  as  the  church. 
The  Puritans  strongly  objected  to  identifying  the  church 
with  the  conventicle  or  building  in  which  its  services  were 
held.  The  church,  in  Congregational  nomenclature,  is  the 
body  of  believers,  and  not  the  house  in  which  they  assem- 
ble. The  Puritans  were  accustomed  to  speak  of  their  place 
of  worship  as  the  meeting  house.  This  was  a  fairly  accu- 
rate translation  of  the  term  "synagogue."  The  custom  of 
speaking  of  the  church  edifice  as  the  church  is,  however, 
increasingly  prevalent.  Ordinarily  the  use  of  this  term 
involves  no  misunderstanding,  and  it  may  be  regarded  as 
a  permissible  though  not  accurate  use  of  the  word.  When 
so  employed  the  term  is  used  in  a  derivative  sense, 

I  Can  a  Church  Exist  Without  Officers?  A  church  can 
l^xist  without  officers,  but  is  incomplete  in  its  organization. 
'^  The  lack  of  officers  cannot  invalidate  the  existence  of  a 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION  109 

church.     Logically  and  historically  the  church  is  before  its 
officers. 

Robert  Browne  on  Church  Officers.  Againe  we  know  that  a 
church  must  needs  be  before  anie  particular  elder  can  be  chosen. 
For  one  partie  can  not  make  a  church,  neither  beget  bodilie  chil- 
dren to  be  of  a  church  but  by  an  helper.  And  therefore  no  elder 
did  breed  or  beget  a  Church  except  there  was  first  a  church  where 
he  was. — A  New  Years  Guift,  p.  28. 

John  Robinson  on  Church  and  Elder.  Now  if  egge  and  bird  be 
destroyed,  I  mean  church  &  ministerye,  as  you  imagine,  &  the  one 
cannot  be  without  the  other,  riddle  &  tell  me  which  shall  be  first, 
&  where  we  shall  beginne,  whether  at  the  bird  or  at  the  egge, 
whether  at  the  ministrye  or  att  the  church?  Not  att  the  church, 
for  that  (as  you  claim)  must  be  gathered  by  a  ministerie  of  Gods 
appoyntment.  Not  at  the  ministerie,  for  there  can  be  none  but 
Pastors  and  Teachers,  and  these  cannott  exercise  a  ministerie  with- 
out a  calling,  nor  haue  a  calling  but  from  a  true  church,  which  must 
not  be  compelled  by  the  maiestrate,  but  gathered  by  doctrine  of  the 
Word  into  a  voluntarie  covenant  with  God.  Looke  about  you  well 
and  see  that  you  arr  wrapped  up  in  your  own  cobweb,  &  eyther  mst 
break  itt  and  lett  the  fly  go,  or  be  swept  awaie  with  it  &  her. — 
New  Facts  concerning  John  Robinson,  p.  14. 

John  Robinson.  Whence  it  followeth,  that  both  church  matters, 
yea,  and  churches  also,  may,  and  in  some  cases  must,  be  begun 
without  officers;  yea,  even  where  officers  are,  if  they  fail  to  do  their 
duties,  the  people  may  enterprise  matters  needful,  howsoever  you 
will  have  the  minister  the  only  primum  movens,  and  will  tie  all  to  his 
fingers. — Works,  ii,  148. 

Richard  Hooker.  A  church,  as  totum  essentiale,  is  and  may  be 
before  the  officers.  A  church  is  before  its  officers.  However,  a 
church  is  incomplete  without  its  officers. — Survey,  part  i,  10-93;  ii,  2. 
ii,  2. 

Isaac  Chauncey.  A  church  must  be  constituted  before  it  can 
choose  a  pastor.  A  church  is  empowered  from  Christ  to  choose  its 
own  ministerial  officers,  before  such  a  church  hath  elders  or  dea- 
cons. These  are  plain  from  the  nature  of  a  body  corporate. — Divine 
Inst.  Cong.  Churches,  49-50. 

Is  There  Salvation  Outside  the  Church?  It  is  a  favorite 
doctrine  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  that  outside  the 
Church  there  is  no  salvation.  There  is  a  sense  in  which 
this  is  true,  for  all  who  are  saved  have  membership  in  the 
true  Church  of  Christ;  but  it  is  not  true  in  any  such  sense 
as  that  salvation  is  limited  to  membership  in  any  particular 
denomination  or  form  of  government.  There  was  salvation 
before  the  organization  of  the  Church.  There  is  salvation 
far  beyond  the  geographical  and  ecclesiastical  bonds  of  the 


110         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

visible  church.  But  in  the  very  real  sense  in  which  it  may- 
be affirmed  that  all  who  are  saved  have  membership  in  the 
Church  of  Christ,  it  is  certainly  true  that  outside  of  that 
Church  there  is  no  salvation. 

The  Church,  Not  a  Voluntary  Society.  A  church  is  not  strictly 
a  voluntary  society;  for  the  word  voluntary  makes  the  will  or 
option  of  the  members  a  fundamental  thing  in  its  formation.  This 
is  false  and  pernicious  in  the  extreme,  implying  as  it  does  that  a 
believer  may  rightly  stay  out  of  the  local  church,  if  he  choose  to 
do  so.  The  believer  is  already  in  the  church-kingdom  in  virtue  of 
being  a  believer,  of  which  church-kingdom  every  true  church  is  a 
normal  and  fundamental  manifestation.  He  cannot  stay  out  of  the 
local  church,  therefore,  without  violating  the  essential  law  of  the 
church-kingdom,  as  well  as  the  express  command  of  Christ.  He 
virtually  denies  the  Lord  that  bought  him.  He  refuses  to  manifest 
with  others  what  he  is  as  a  redeemed  sinner.  And  no  wonder, 
when  such  is  the  case,  that  it  soon  became  a  maxim  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church:  Out  of  the  church  there  is  no  salvation.  This 
maxim,  hardened  into  a  universal  rule,  is  less  pernicious  when  we 
take  a  true  conception  of  local  churches  as  manifestations  of  the 
church-kingdom,  than  the  position  that  churches  are  voluntary 
societies. — Ross:  Church-Kingdom,  p.  171. 

What  Is  the  Protestant  Church?  Technically  and  prop- 
erly there  is  no  such  thing  as  the  Protestant  Church,  but 
the  term  as  commonly  used  in  America  is  employed  to 
designate  those  churches  which  do  not  acknowledge  the 
authority  of  the  Pope. 

The  term  Protestant  is  frequently  objected  to  as  being 
in  its  nature  a  negative  term.  It  is  not  necessarily  so.  The 
following  quotation  is  from  the  pen  of  Bishop  Williams  of 
the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church : 

"Protestant"  has  come  to  describe  simply  churches  that  are  not 
subject  to  Rome,  and  therefore  truly  describes  our  own  communion. 
That  is  all  it  means  to  the  popular  mind. 

Originally,  to  be  sure,  it  had  a  purely  negative  significance.  It 
was  derived  from  the  protest  of  the  Reformers  against  the  errors 
and  abuses  of  the  Roman  communion.  And  we  have  not  yet  gotten 
beyond  the  need  of  that  negative  connotation  of  the  term. 

But  the  name  "Protestant"  has  more  and  more  acquired  a  posi- 
tive and  constructive  connotation.  "Protestant"  has  come  to  mean 
"pro-tcst-ant"  in  the  original  sense  of  the  word.  It  is  a  case  of 
reversion  to  etymology.  It  stands  for  testimony  and  witness  not 
simply  against  the  errors  and  abuses  of  Rome,  but  in  behalf  of  cer- 
tain positive  truths  and  rights  and  privileges  which  are  our  most 
precious  heritage  from  the  Reformation  and  the  Renaissance.  It 
stands  for  liberty  of  conscience,  freedom  of  the  intellect,  the  demo- 
cratic ideal  and  movement,  modern  knowledge  and  learning,  and 
the  spirit  of  progress. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION  HI 

Protestants.  A  mere  calumny  it  is  that  we  profess  only  a  nega- 
tive religion.  Romanists  do  call  our  religion  a  negative  religion. 
But  in  the  meantime  they  forget  that  we  maintain  all  those  aricles 
and  truths  which  are  contained  in  any  of  the  ancient  creeds  of  the 
Church,  which  I  hope  are  more  than  negatives.  "Protestants"  did 
not  get  their  name  by  protesting  against  the  Church  of  Rome,  but 
by  protesting  .  .  .  against  her  errors  and  superstitions.  Nor  is 
protestation  itself  such  an  unheard  of  thing  in  the  very  heart  of 
religion;  for  the  sacraments  .  .  .  are  called  .  .  .  "visible  signs 
protesting  the  Faith."  Now  if  the  sacraments  be  signa  protestantia, 
signs  protesting,  why  may  not  men  also,  and  without  all  oflfense,  be 
called  "Protestants,"  since  by  receiving  the  true  sacraments  and 
by  refusing  them  which  are  corrupted,  they  do  but  protest  the  sin- 
cerity of  their  faith  against  that  doctrinal  corruption  which  hath 
invaded  the  great  sacrament  of  the  Eucharist  and  other  parts  of 
religion?  I  glory  in  the  name  of  Protestant.  My  lords,  I  am  as 
innocent  in  this  business  of  religion,  as  free  from  all  practice  or  so 
much  as  thought  of  practice  for  .  .  .  anyway  blemishing  the 
Protestant  religion  established  in  the  Church  of  England  as  I  was 
when  my  mother  first  bare  me  into  the  world.  I  pray  God  his 
truth,  the  true  Protestant  religion  here  established,  sink  not!  God 
of  His  mercy  preserve  the  true  Protestant  religion  amongst  us! — 
Archbishop  Laud. 

What  Is  the  Holy  Catholic  Church?  The  Holy  Catholic 
Church  is  the  whole  body  of  believers,  now  and  in  all  ages. 
We  can  be  content  with  no  smaller  definition.  No  one 
organization  has  any  right  to  a  monopoly  of  this  name, 
nor  can  the  incorporation  of  the  word  Catholic  into  any 
corporate  name  constitute  a  peculiar  claim  upon  or  right 
to  its  use.  On  this  subject  Bishop  Williams,  of  Michigan, 
has  written  strong  words: 

The  significance  of  names  cannot  be  decided  by  their  etymology 
alone.  Names  are  menstrua.  They  take  up  and  carry  in  solution 
history  and  experience,  and  thereby  acquire  a  popular  interpreta- 
tion. For  example,  the  word  idiot  means  by  derivation  and  ety- 
mology a  private  person,  or  a  private  citizen.  It  means  in  actual 
usage  an  imbecile.  You  might  in  a  moment  of  temper  call  an  iras- 
cible friend  an  idiot  and  then  try  to  take  refuge  in  your  etymology, 
but  I  fear  it  would  prove  no  sufficient  defense  against  his  justifiable 
wrath. 

Even  so  the  term  Catholic  means  by  etymology  universal.  That 
was  its  original  significance,  and  Arians  and  Athanasians  alike 
claimed  it.  Later,  it  attached  to  a  certain  type  of  doctrine  and 
practice  which  won  out  and  so  became  established  as  orthodox. 
But  to-day  it  has  practically  lost  both  significances  and  has  come  to 
describe  the  ecclesiastical  institution  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  of 
the  Pope  of  Rome.  And  we  cannot  change  that  meaning  by  any 
action  we  may  take.  The  name  American  Catholic  would  require 
perpetual  explanation,  and  then  remain  forever  inexplicable  to  the 


112         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

popular  mind.  Wc  cannot  find  any  secure  refuge  against  popular 
misunderstanding  in  our  etymology,  or  even  historical  interpreta- 
tion. 

The  Catholic  Church.  The  Catholic  Church  is  the  whole  com- 
pany of  those  that  are  elected,  redeemed,  and  in  time  effectually 
called  from  the  state  of  sin  and  death,  unto  a  state  of  grace  and 
salvation  in  Jesus  Christ. — Cambridge  Platform:  ii,  1. 

Papal  Theory  Greek,  Not  Roman.  The  origin  of  the  papal  sys- 
tem is  not  in  the  constitution  of  the  primitive  churches.  "This 
volume  further  demonstrates,"  says  Bishop  A.  Cleveland  Coxe,  in 
his  introduction  to  the  American  edition  of  the  Antevicent  Fathers, 
"what  I  have  so  often  touched  upon — the  historic  fact  that  primi- 
tive Christianity  was  Greek  in  form  and  character,  Greek  from  first 
to  last,  Greek  in  all  its  forms  of  dogma,  worship,  and  polity."  And 
he  refers  to  Dean  Stanley  as  inviting  "us  to  reform  the  entire 
scheme  of  our  ecclesiastical  history  by  presenting  the  eastern  apos- 
tolic churches  as  the  main  stem  of  Christendom,  of  which  the 
Church  of  Rome  itself  was  for  three  hundred  years  a  mere  colony, 
unfelt  in  theology  except  by  contributions  to  the  Greek  literature 
of  Christians,  and  wholly  unconscious  of  those  pretensions  with 
which  .  .  .  the  fabulous  decretals  afterwards  invested  a  succes- 
sion of  primitive  bishops  in  Rome,  wholly  innocent  of  anything  of 
the  kind. — Ross:  Church  Kingdom,  p.  47. 

Can  We  Depend  on  External  Authority?  We  cannot 
depend  upon  the  authority  of  men  for  our  right  to  continue 
in  the  world  the  work  which  Jesus  committed  to  his  dis- 
ciples, nor  if  we  did  could  we  be  sure  that  any  one  man  or 
system  now  extant  monopolizes  that  authority.  Those  lean 
on  a  broken  staff  who  depend  on  formal  succession  through 
the  succession  of  Rome  or  other  alleged  unbroken  line. 

For  lists  of  the  early  bishops  of  Rome  we  depend  upon 
three  sources,  no  two  of  which  agree.  This  is  the  way  the 
lists  begin,  as  they  are  preserved  by  Irenseus,  Tertullian 
and  Augustine: 

Irenaeus  Tertullian  Augustine 

1.  Peter  1.  Peter  1.  Peter 

2.  Linus  2.  Clemens  2.  Linus 

3.  Anacletus  3.  Linus  3.  Clemens 

4.  Clemens  4.  Anacletus  4.  Anacletus 

On  these  three  conflicting  lists,  Jacob  remarks :  "Even  so 
well  known  a  name  as  that  of  Clement  is  placed  in  three 
different  positions,  appearing  as  second,  third  and  fourth." 
The  more  remote  the  historians  from  the  time  of  these  men 
the  greater  their  confidence  in  their  ability  to  make  an  ac- 


ECCLESIASTICAL    EVOLUTION  113 

curate  list.  Eusebius,  in  the  fourth  century,  even  under- 
took to  assign  dates  to  their  several  episcopates !  We 
simply  do  not  know  who  succeeded  Peter  as  Bishop  of 
Rome,  nor  whether  Peter  was  ever  there.  And  if  we  are 
thus  uncertain  about  Rome,  what  is  to  be  said  of  the  rest? 
Those  who  depend  on  such  a  line  for  their  right  to  preach 
hang  by  a  very  slender  and  badly  frayed  thread. 


VIL    THE  ORGANIZATION  OF  A  CHURCH 

Who  May  Organize  a  Church?  The  right  to  organize  a 
church  is  inherent  in  the  members  who  compose  it.  Any 
company  of  persons  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
sincerity,  and  who  live  sufficiently  near  to  each  other  to 
meet  statedly  for  worship  and  to  unite  in  Christian  activi- 
ties, may  organize  themselves  into  a  church.  They  may 
choose  their  own  form  of  government,  adopt  their  own 
method  of  electing  their  officers,  and,  so  far  as  their  methods 
of  government  and  worship  do  not  conflict  with  the  rights 
of  other  organizations  or  disobey  the  laws  of  God  or  of 
the  land,  they  may  enjoy  complete  liberty  within  the  church 
which  they  establish. 

John  Robinson.  And  for  the  gathering  of  a  church  I  do  tell 
you,  that  in  what  place  soever,  whether  by  preaching  the  gospel  by 
a  true  minister,  by  a  false  minister,  by  no  minister,  or  by  reading 
and  conference,  or  by  any  other  means  of  publishing  it,  two  or 
three  faithful  people  do  arise,  separating  themselves  from  the  world 
into  the  fellowship  of  the  gospel,  they  are  a  church  truly  gathered, 
though  never  so  weak. — Works,  ii,  232. 

Samuel  Hopkins.  The  word  church  signifies  an  assembly  of 
men,  called  and  collected  together  for  some  special  purpose.  The 
Church  of  Christ  on  earth  consists  of  those  who  are  united  together 
as  professed  friends  to  Christ  and  believers  in  Him,  are  under  ex- 
plicit engagements  to  serve  Him.  .  .  .  Whenever  a  number  of 
persons  voluntarily  unite  together,  under  profession  of  holiness  in 
Christ,  to  attend  to  his  institutions  and  ordinances,  they  are  a 
church.— Works,  Vol.  IX,  p.  148. 

Cambridge  Platform.  The  matter  of  the  church  in  respect  of  its 
quantity,  ought  not  to  be  of  greater  number  than  rnay  ordinarily 
meet  together  conveniently  in  one  place;  nor  ordinarily  fewer  than 
may  conveniently  carry  on  church-work.  Hence  when  the  Holy 
Scripture  makes  mention  of  the  saints  combined  into  a  church- 
estate,  in  a  town  or  city  where  was  but  one  congregation,  it  usually 
calleth  those  saints  the  Church,  in  the  singular  number. — iv,  4. 

How  May  a  Church  Be  Organized  with  a  Council?    The 

prospective  members  of  a  church  should  first  hold  a  pre- 
liminary meeting  and  agree  upon  their  desire  to  organize 
a  church,  and  adopt  a  constitution  and  confession  of  faith. 
Having  taken  these  preliminary  steps,  they  may  join  in 
issuing  a  letter  missive,  to  be  signed  by  a  committee  of 


THE    ORGANIZATION    OF   A    CHURCH  115 

their  own  membership,  inviting  the  Congregational  churches 
of  the  vicinage  to  convene  in  council  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  a  Congregational  church.  The  list  of  churches 
to  be  invited  to  such  a  council  should  be  prepared  with 
care,  and  advice  should  be  sought  from  the  Advisory,  or 
Home  Missionary,  or  Church  Extension  Committee  of  the 
District  Association,  or  from  a  neighboring  pastor  of  ex- 
perience. 

The  council  being  duly  organized,  the  list  of  prospective 
members  should  be  submitted.  The  letters  of  those  who 
are  to  join  by  letter  should  be  presented  for  examination, 
or  a  statement  that  they  have  been  examined  and  that  the 
examination  is  satisfactory  should  be  presented  to  the 
council.  It  will  often  be  a  convenience  if  a  map  is  pre- 
pared, in  order  that  the  Council  may  be  shown  what  is  the 
field  of  the  proposed  church  and  what  are  its  geographical 
relations  to  other  churches. 

The  council,  having  received  all  statements  which  it 
deems  necessary,  concerning  membership,  territory,  pros- 
pect of  self-support,  and  the  general  need  of  the  organiza- 
tion, may  by  vote  be  by  itself.  The  council  being  by  itself 
should  carefully  consider  the  questions  submitted  to  it, 
and  if  it  seems  evident  that  the  church  ought  to  be  organ- 
ized, it  may  return  to  the  meeting  with  its  finding,  and 
report  its  approval. 

The  moderator  will  then  assemble  the  prospective  mem- 
bers, and  will  call  upon  the  scribe  to  read  the  vote  by  which 
the  council  has  expressed  its  approval  of  the  organization 
of  the  church.  A  motion  is  then  in  order,  and  should  be 
made  and  seconded  by  two  prospective  members  of  the 
church,  in  substance,  as  follows :  "Voted,  that  we  now  pro- 
ceed to  the  organization  of  a  church  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  to  be  known  as Congregational  Church." 

The  council  may  now  proceed  at  once  to  the  completion 
of  the  organization.  Those  prospective  members  who  have 
not  been  baptized  should  receive  baptism.  The  moderator 
should  read  the  church  covenant,  and  call  for  its  acceptance. 


116         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Either  he,  himself,  or  a  member  appointed  for  the  purpose, 
should  offer  the  right  hand  of  fellowship. 

It  is  in  order,  however,  that  these  services  of  assent  to 
the  covenant,  and  of  baptism  and  the  right  hand  of  fellow- 
ship, be  postponed  until  the  evening  or  until  a  convenient 
Sunday.  In  either  event,  the  church,  under  the  direction 
of  the  council,  should  proceed  to  the  adoption  of  constitu- 
tion, by-laws  and  form  of  admission  of  members.  In  all 
these  matters,  the  prospective  members  of  the  church  will 
vote;  the  moderator  and  scribe  of  the  council  acting  in 
their  respective  capacities  on  behalf  of  the  church  until  the 
organization  is  complete. 

The  constitution,  covenant,  and  confession  of  faith  being 
adopted,  the  council  will  resume  its  session,  and  will  ap- 
point certain  of  its  own  members  to  take  such  further  steps 
as  may  be  advisable  in  any  public  service  of  recognition. 
The  officers  of  the  council  should  report  the  organization 
of  the  church  to  the  District  Association,  and  commend  the 
church  to  the  fellowship  of  that  body. 

How  May  a  Church  Be  Organized  Without  Council? 
The  neighborhood  should  first  be  canvassed  carefully,  and 
a  list  of  prospective  members  should  be  obtained.  Those 
who  are  to  become  members  should  carefully  consider 
whether  there  is  real  need  of  a  church  in  their  neighbor- 
hood, whether  it  can  be  organized  without  encroaching 
upon  the  parish  of  some  other  church,  and  whether  it  can 
attain  to  self-support  immediately  or  within  a  reasonable 
time.  If  it  cannot  support  itself  from  the  outset,  but  ex- 
pects missionary  aid  from  the  denomination,  the  prospec- 
tive members  should  seek  advice  from  the  officers  of  the 
state  or  local  home  missionary  society. 

It  will  often  be  found  advisable  to  circulate  in  advance 
a  simple  leaflet  setting  forth  the  purposes  of  the  organiza- 
tion. Such  a  leaflet  may  set  forth  the  essential  features 
of  the  Congregational  system,  particularly  as  affording  a 
basis  of  union  for  people  of  different  denominations,  and 
have  a  detachable  leaf  or  card  containing  a  simple  prelim- 


THE    ORGANIZATION    OF   A    CHURCH  117 

inary  covenant  expressing  the  willingness  of  those  who 
sign  this  card  to  become  charter  members  of  a  new  church. 
When  these  cards  have  been  gathered,  it  will  often  be 
found  of  advantage  to  secure  the  signatures  of  the  prospec- 
tive members  to  a  simple  preliminary  covenant  affording 
the  basis  of  a  temporary  organization.  The  following  has 
been  used  successfully  in  cases  of  this  kind : 

"For  the  glory  of  God,  for  the  service  of  our  fellow  men, 
for  mutual  assistance  in  our  Christian  life,  and  for  the 
blessing  of  this  neighborhood  and  of  our  children,  the 
undersigned  agree  to  become  charter  members  of  a  Con- 
gregational church." 

It  is  of  advantage  that  such  a  preliminary  covenant  be 
extremely  brief  and  free  from  all  technicalities. 

A  preliminary  meeting  may  now  be  held,  and  a  com- 
mittee appointed  to  present  a  constitution,  covenant  and 
articles  of  faith.  Very  often,  however,  such  preliminary 
meeting  can  be  dispensed  with  altogether.  Those  who  are 
the  leaders  of  the  movement  may  prepare  in  advance  for 
the  first  draft  of  a  constitution  and  articles  of  faith  and 
present  them  for  adoption  at  a  later  meeting  for  organiza- 
tion, 

A  formal  call  should  be  issued  for  the  organization,  and 
become  a  part  of  the  minutes  of  the  meeting.  It  may  be 
published  in  a  local  paper,  or  sent  individually  to  prospec- 
tive members.  Such  a  call,  however,  is  not  legally  neces- 
sary for  the  first  meeting.  After  a  church  is  organized 
and  has  a  definite  body  of  members,  notice  of  meetings 
must  be  conveyed  according  to  some  established  method. 
In  the  interest  of  good  order,  it  is  well  that  the  preliminary 
meeting  should  be  publicly  announced  and  a  general  invi- 
tation extended,  but  it  is  not  necessary  to  the  legality  of 
the  undertaking.  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  to- 
gether in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  the  right  of  organization 
is  inherent. 

An  ample  and  somewhat  elaborate  constitution  will  be  found  in 
Barton's  Congregational  Manual,  pp.  231-239.    A  briefer  form,  and 


118         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

one  quite  adequate  for  a  small  church,  will  be  found  in  the  same 
work,  pp.  262-264. 

The  following  directions  will  serve  for  the  organization 
of  a  church  without  the  aid  of  a  council : 

The  prospective  members  being  assembled  according  to 
notice  or  by  mutual  agreement,  the  meeting  may  be  called 
to  order,  either  by  one  of  these  prospective  members,  as, 
for  example,  the  chairman  of  the  committee  on  constitu- 
tion, or  by  a  neighboring  pastor,  or  by  the  chairman  of 
the  Advisory  Committee  of  the  Association.  It  is  not 
necessary  that  the  chairman  of  the  meeting  be  one  of  the 
prospective  members,  and  often  it  is  better  that  he  should 
not  be.  A  temporary  clerk  should  be  elected,  and  the  call 
of  the  meeting  read.  The  names  of  the  persons  who  have 
signified  their  intention  of  uniting  with  the  church  should 
be  read.  If  a  sufificient  number  of  these  are  found  to  be 
present,  the  business  of  the  meeting  may  proceed.  It  is 
not  necessary  that  every  person  who  has  signed  the  pre- 
liminary covenant  should  be  present,  but  it  is  advisable 
that  a  majority  should  be  there,  and  that  all  those  who  are 
expected  to  become  members  should  have  been  notified  of 
the  meeting.  A  permanent  moderator  and  scribe  should 
now  be  chosen,  and  prayer  should  be  offered,  either  by  the 
presiding  officer  or  by  some  person  designated  by  him. 

The  persons  who  are  to  unite  with  the  new  church  by 
letter  from  other  churches  should  be  asked  to  produce 
their  credentials.  If  there  are  but  a  few  of  these  letters, 
they  may  be  handed  to  the  scribe  and  publicly  read  and 
passed  upon.  If  there  are  many,  it  is  well  to  appoint  a 
committee  to  examine  the  credentials,  to  certify  that  they 
are  in  due  form,  and  to  submit  a  definite  list  of  those  who 
are  to  become  charter  members  by  letter. 

The  persons  desiring  to  unite  on  confession  of  faith 
should  also  present  their  names  and  requests,  and  these 
persons  should  be  examined  as  to  their  Christian  faith  and 
life.  Such  examination,  however,  if  it  is  likely  to  be  pro- 
tracted, should  be  had  before  a  committee,  who  later  should 


THE    ORGANIZATION    OF   A   CHURCH  llg 

report  the  results  of  their  examination,  recommending  for 
church  membership  those  whom  they  believe  to  be  quali- 
fied. These  two  committees  may  be  chosen  either  from 
among  the  prospective  members  or  from  ministers  and 
representatives  of  other  churches  present,  or  the  commit- 
tees may  be  dispensed  with  altogether.  Where  the  pre- 
liminary steps  have  been  taken  with  care  and  the  letters 
have  previously  been  gathered  and  inspected,  it  will  often 
be  found  possible  to  pass  upon  the  whole  question  of  mem- 
bership without  delay  or  reference  to  a  committee. 

The  two  lists  of  names  now  being  before  the  meeting, 
it  is  in  order  to  ask  whether  there  is  objection  to  any  name 
proposed.  The  prospective  members  have  a  right  to  be 
the  judges  of  their  own  membership  and  to  say  with  whom 
they  are  willing  to  associate  together  in  the  membership 
of  the  church.  If  they  believe  that  any  person  who  is  pro- 
posed for  membership  is  unworthy,  they  have  a  right  by 
vote  to  decline  to  associate  with  that  person  as  a  charter 
member  of  the  church.  If  no  objection  is  raised  to  any 
one  name,  the  names  need  not  be  voted  upon  separately. 

A  list  of  prospective  members  having  thus  been  made 
up  and  accepted,  a  motion  is  in  order,  and  may  be  in  sub- 
stance as  follows :  "Voted,  that  we  now  proceed  to  the 
organization  of  a  church  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  be 

known  as  the   Congregational  Church."     This 

motion,  being  made  and  seconded,  is  open  for  discussion. 
If  any  doubt  remains,  it  should  now  be  made  clear  that 
such  a  church  is  needed;  that  the  field  is  not  already  cov- 
ered by  neighboring  churches ;  that  these  prospective  mem- 
bers should  be  organized  as  an  independent  church  rather 
than  with  a  branch  of  some  existing  church;  that  the 
church  which  it  is  proposed  to  organize  has  good  prospect 
of  reaching  self-support  within  a  reasonable  period,  and 
that  those  who  are  to  constitute  the  church  are  people  of 
such  standing  in  the  community  as  represent  its  best  life 
and  interests  and  promise  the  welfare  of  the  undertaking. 
These    matters    being    established,    the    motion    may    be 


120         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

adopted.    All  the  prospective  members  who  have  been  ap- 
proved for  membership  have  right  to  vote  on  this  motion. 

The  covenant,  statement  of  doctrine,  form  for  reception 
of  members,  constitution  and  by-laws  may  now  be  pre- 
sented and  adopted ;  or,  if  these  are  not  prepared,  a  com- 
mittee may  be  appointed  to  prepare  them. 

It  is  often  wise  to  adjourn  the  meeting  at  this  point, 
and  after  all  the  business  details  have  been  arranged,  to 
complete  the  organization  in  a  Sunday  covenant  service, 
and  to  hold  the  charter  membership  open  until  that  date. 
It  will  frequently  be  found  that  some  people  who  have 
been  hesitating  concerning  the  church  organization  will  be 
impressed  by  the  simple  dignity  of  the  organization  and 
will  gladly  unite  at  this  stage,  especially  if  the  privilege 
of  charter  membership  is  extended. 

Moreover,  the  Sunday  covenant  service  may  be  made 
a  very  impressive  one.  The  additional  members  having 
been  received  by  vote,  the  minutes  of  the  meeting  for 
organization  may  be  read  and  approved,  and  the  whole 
body  of  prospective  members  may  then  come  forward  to 
receive  the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  Those  who  have  not 
been  baptized  should  be  baptized  at  this  time,  and  the  serv- 
ice may  appropriately  be  followed  by  a  communion  service, 
and  by  a  charge  delivered  to  the  church. 

It  will  be  found  that  the  method  of  organizing  a  church 
in  two  meetings,  one  upon  a  week  day,  called  especially  for 
the  transaction  of  business,  and  the  other  called  upon  a 
Sunday  for  the  purpose  of  uniting  in  a  covenant,  possesses 
marked  practical  advantages.  The  formal  business  can 
nearly  all  be  transacted  at  the  earlier  meeting  and  the  Sun- 
day service  can  be  one  of  spiritual  impulse.  The  two,  how- 
ever, should  be  considered  as  two  sessions  of  a  single  meet- 
ing, and  so  should  be  recorded  in  the  minutes.  Before  the 
adjournment  of  the  first  meeting  a  motion  should  be 
adopted  that  the  meeting  adjourn  to  a  definite  date,  which 
may  properly  be  a  Sunday  one  or  two  weeks  removed. 


THE    ORGANIZATION    OF   A    CHURCH  121 

Without  Council  in  Early  Days.  Though  it  be  not  usual,  yet 
is  it  lawful  to  gather  a  church  without  other  churches  and  ministers 
advise. — Thomas  Goodwin:  Works,  Vol.  IV,  p.  107. 

With  Council  in  Early  Days.  At  gathering  of  churches,  one  of 
the  messengers  examines  the  candidates;  and,  on  acknowledging 
their  covenant,  he  pronounces  them  a  true  church,  and  gives  them 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship.  So  did  Mr.  Weldc  at  the  founding  of 
Weymouth  Church. — Lechford:  Plain  Dealing. 

How  May  a  Church  Be  Organized  by  an  Association? 

If  it  is  desired  that  the  District  Association  itself  organize 
the  church,  the  Association  may  be  invited  to  a  special 
meeting  for  that  purpose.  The  meeting  should  be  called 
by  the  scribe  of  the  Association  according  to  its  rules.  The 
regular  quorum  of  the  Association  suffices  for  a  meeting 
for  the  organization  of  the  church.  A  majority  is  not  re- 
quired, as  in  the  case  of  a  council.  The  moderator  of  the 
Association  presides  and  the  work  proceeds,  as  in  the  case 
where  the  church  is  organized  by  a  council.  In  case  it  is 
deemed  advisable  to  adjourn  the  meeting  to  a  subsequent 
date,  and  to  complete  it  in  a  Sunday  service,  the  Associa- 
tion may  appoint  certain  of  its  members  to  represent  it  in 
that  service  and  to  do  those  things  necessary  to  complete 
the  organization.  These  members,  or  a  majority  of  them, 
are  authorized  thus  to  conduct  the  public  service  in  accord- 
ance with  the  vote  of  the  Association,  even  though  they 
be  not  a  quorum  of  the  Association,  but  they  are  not 
authorized  to  take  any  other  action.  No  power  is  delegated 
to  them  other  than  to  represent  the  Association  within  the 
definite  limits  of  their  instructions. 

Room  for  Variety.  One  of  the  great  virtues  of  Congregation- 
alism is  that  it  is  not  run  in  the  mould  of  a  mechanical  uniformity. 
Under  our  polity  the  machinery  for  oversight  may  vary  in  different 
sections  of  the  country,  both  in  kind  and  complexity.  Our  polity 
is  elastic  enough  to  allow  variety  without  straining  the  fellowship 
between  groups  of  churches.  It  leaves  room  for  wide  experiment- 
ing, and  the  adoption  of  machinery  which  experience  elsewhere  has 
shown  to  be  wise. — Heermance:  Democracy  in  the  Church,  p.  131. 

How  May  a  Church  Secure  Fellowship?  A  self-govern- 
ing church  may  secure  the  fellowship  of  other  churches, 
similarly  organized,   either   in   connection   with   or   subse- 


122         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

quent  to  its  own  organization.  When  it  is  proposed  to 
organize  a  Congregational  church,  it  is  both  safer  and  more 
courteous  to  secure  in  advance  the  advice  and  co-operation 
of  the  sisterhood  of  churches  with  which  it  is  proposed  to 
unite.  The  right  of  organization  is  inherent  in  the  local 
body  of  believers ;  the  right  of  recognition  belongs  to  the 
sisterhood  of  churches  with  which  the  local  church  expects 
fellowship.  It  is  sometimes  expedient,  though  not  neces- 
sary or  always  advisable,  that  a  council  be  called  when  a 
church  is  about  to  be  organized.  Often  it  is  better  that 
the  District  Association  within  whose  geographical  bounds 
the  proposed  church  is  situated,  be  asked  to  act  officially 
in  a  conciliary  capacity.  Mistakes  are  often  avoided  if  this 
method  is  pursued.  Where  for  any  reason  a  church  is  to 
be  organized  without  the  co-operation  of  a  council  or  Asso- 
ciation, advice  should  be  sought  from  the  Advisory  Com- 
mittee of  the  District  Association,  if  that  or  a  similar  com- 
mittee exists,  or  from  a  neighboring  pastor  of  standing  and 
experience. 

How  Is  a  Congregational  Church  Recognized?  A 
church  organized  without  council  may  properly  call  a  coun- 
cil to  recognize  it  as  a  Congregational  church.  To  the 
council  should  be  submitted  a  full  report  of  the  proceed- 
ings of  organization,  its  declaration  of  faith,  form  of  admis- 
sion, and  rules.  The  council,  convening  on  the  day  ap- 
pointed and  being  duly  organized,  should  examine  these, 
give  advice  in  any  matters  of  irregularity,  and,  if  it  approve 
the  organization,  should  so  certify  in  its  finding.  The  Coun- 
cil further  may  recommend  the  church  to  the  fellowship  of 
the  District  Association. 

Two  copies  of  the  minutes  of  the  council  should  be  pre- 
pared and  signed  by  the  moderator  and  scribe.  One  of 
these  should  be  furnished  to  the  clerk  of  the  church,  entered 
in  its  record  book,  and  permanently  preserved.  The  other 
should  be  furnished  to  the  registrar  of  the  District  Associa- 
tion. At  the  next  meeting  of  the  District  Association  the 
church  should  be  represented  by  its  pastor  and  a  delegate. 


THE   ORGANIZATION    OF   A   CHURCH  123 

P'ormal  application  should  then  be  made  for  admission. 
Resolutions  to  this  effect  may  be  substantially  in  the  fol- 
lowing words: 

"Voted  that  the   Congregational  Church  in 

,  organized   ,  19 ... ,  and  recognized  by 

a  council  of  the  vicinage  on ,  IQ-  • .,  hereby  applies 

for  admission  to  the Association  as  a  Congrega- 
tional church  in  good  fellowship  and  regular  standing." 

How  May  a  Church  Be  Disbanded?  Sometimes  through 
changes  in  the  population  of  a  community  it  becomes  advis- 
able to  disband  a  church,  or  to  combine  it  with  another 
church.  In  such  a  case  competent  advice  should  be  sought 
to  secure  all  legal  rights  in  the  premises.  This  is  particu- 
larly important  because  of  the  wide  divergence  of  the  stat- 
utes in  the  several  states.  If  money  has  been  invested  in 
the  church  work  by  the  Home  Missionary  Society,  or  in 
the  building  by  the  Church  Building  Society,  care  should 
be  taken  to  secure  all  the  legal  and  moral  equities  involved. 
Public  notice  should  be  given  that  all  members  may  have 
knowledge  of  the  proposed  action.  In  any  case  of  doubt  a 
council  should  be  called  or  the  advice  of  the  District  Asso- 
ciation should  be  sought.  If  any  considerable  number  of 
the  members  still  believe  the  church  to  be  needed  and  arc 
willing  to  continue  its  responsibilities,  respectful  heed 
should  be  given  to  their  desires  and  promises,  without, 
however,  jeopardizing  important  interests  for  what  may 
be  a  too  confident  hope.  If  it  should  finally  appear  that 
the  church  is  no  longer  needed,  the  following  steps  may  be 
taken :  First,  it  may  be  voted  that  this  church  proceed  to 
take  the  necessary  steps  to  dispose  of  its  property  and  to 
disband.  Secondly,  the  trustees  should  be  directed  to  dis- 
pose of  the  property,  either  by  deed  to  the  Congregational 
Church  Building  Society  or  in  such  other  way  as  to  provide 
for  the  proper  securing  of  the  interests  of  the  denomination. 
A  bill  of  sale  of  the  personal  property  should  also  be  author- 
ized. Thirdly,  it  should  be  voted  that  the  clerk  have  author- 
ity to  grant  letters  to  all  members  now  on  the  rolls  of  this 


124         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

church  to  any  church  with  which  the  church  is  in  fellow- 
ship. Fourthly,  it  should  be  voted  that  the  records,  when 
completed,  be  deposited  with  the  registrar  of  the  Associa- 
tion or  with  the  State  Conference.  Finally,  all  necessary 
business  being  completed,  it  should  be  voted  that  this 
church  do  now  disband. 

By  What  Majority  Vote  May  a  Church  Disband?  The 
answers  to  this  question  are  various  and  by  no  means 
consistent.  It  sometimes  has  been  held  that  only  a  unani- 
mous vote  can  disband  a  church.  Sometimes  it  has  been 
maintained  that  a  majority  vote  is  sufficient.  Neither  of 
these  rules  can  be  maintained.  The  disbanding  of  a  church 
is  first  of  all  an  important  amendment  of  its  constitution, 
and  no  smaller  vote  can  disband  a  church  than  that  which 
would  amend  its  constitution  in  its  most  vital  part.  If  the 
rules  of  a  church  provide  that  the  constitution  may  be 
amended  by  a  two-thirds  vote,  then  in  the  absence  of  a 
particular  rule,  upon  due  notice  from  the  pulpit  a  specified 
time  in  advance,  an  affirmative  vote  by  a  two-thirds  major- 
its  of  those  present  and  voting  can  disband  a  church.  If 
the  rules  of  the  church  contain  any  special  provision  as 
that  "No  essential  change  in  doctrine  or  polity  of  this 
church  shall  be  made  without  previous  notice  to  all  its 
members";  or,  if  for  such  change  a  larger  vote  than  two- 
thirds  be  required,  the  largest  vote  and  the  widest  notice 
required  by  the  constitution  for  any  action  is  necessary 
for  the  disbanding  of  a  church. 

Dr.  Dexter  maintained  that  a  unanimous  vote  would  be 

necessary  to  disband  a  church;  and  then,  with  what  was 

for  him  a  singular  inconsistency,  he  provided  a   method 

whereby  a  bare  majority  might  do  so,  and  that  with  the 

harshness  of  church  discipline: 

Rights  of  the  Minority.  Should  a  minority  resist,  and  claim  to 
be  the  church  still,  in  plea  that  a  majority  vote  cannot  take  away 
their  covenant  right  to  belong  to  that  church;  it  may  be  replied 
that  only  majority  action  gave  them  that  right,  and  that  an  unrea- 
sonable and  contumacious  dissent  from  the  opinion  of  the  major 
portion  of  their  brethren  backed  by  the  judgment  of  an  impartial 
council,  is  entitled  to  no  respect,  and  becomes  in  reality  an  offense 


THE    ORGANIZATION    OF   A   CHURCH  125 

worthy  of  censure.  Should  opposition  still  be  maintained,  the  way 
becomes  open  for  dealing  with  them  for  such  offense,  and  thus 
making  it  possible  for  unanimous  assent  to  the  decision  of  the  body 
in  its  majority. — Handbook,  pp.  117,  118. 

We  confess  surprise  at  this  advice  from  so  sane  and 
just  an  authority  as  Dr.  Dexter.  Neither  of  his  answers 
can  be  defended  successfully.  A  bare  majority  may  not 
disband  a  church,  much  less  arbitrarily  excommunicate  a 
minority  in  the  process.  Nor  is  a  unanimous  vote  to  be 
required.  In  the  Salem  case,  referred  to  by  Cummings  in 
the  following  quotation,  neither  of  the  two  contentions  can 
be  allowed.  A  church  can  disband,  but  such  a  proceeding 
is  a  radical  amendment  of  its  constitution,  and  a  majority 
vote  is  insufficient. 

It  is  understood  to  have  been  recently  decided  by  a  council,  in 
a  case  in  Salem,  Mass.,  that  a  majority  have  no  right  to  disband  a 
church  and  divide  the  property.  On  the  one  hand,  the  sovereignty 
of  the  majority  was  pleaded;  and,  on  the  other,  that  the  majority 
have  no  right  to  repudiate  their  own  covenant  engagements. — Cong. 
Diet.,  Majorities. 

May  Two  Churches  Unite?  Two  or  more  churches, 
both  being  incorporated  and  owning  their  own  property, 
may  unite.  The  essential  proceedings  necessary  to  such  a 
union  are:  First,  that  each  church  separately  shall  vote  in 
favor  of  such  a  union.  The  vote  necessary  to  such  an 
action  is  that  required  for  the  amendment  of  the  constitu- 
tion, and  notice  should  be  given  in  advance,  in  accordance 
wath  the  particular  rules  of  each  church.  Secondly,  the 
two  churches  should  by  separate  vote  agree  upon  a  time 
for  a  joint  meeting,  at  which  time  the  merger  shall  be  made 
complete.  Thirdly,  the  two  churches  being  assembled  in 
joint  meeting,  the  merger  may  be  eflfected  either  by  (a) 
the  blending  of  the  two  into  an  organization  which  perpet- 
uates both  churches;  (b)  the  merging  of  one  church  into 
the  other,  or  (c)  the  formation  of  a  new  church,  composed 
of  the  membership  of  both. 

The  first  of  these  is  the  most  difficult.  It  is  not  easy 
for  two  churches  to  become  one  and  retain  the  form  of 
organization  of  two.     The  details  for  such  an  organization 


126        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

must  be  wrought  out  subject  to  the  rules  of  the  two  uniting 
churches. 

The  union  is  far  simpler  where  one  church  is  merged 
into  the  other.  It  may  be  done  in  the  following  order: 
First,  the  trustees  of  the  church  that  is  to  be  dissolved  by 
vote  convey  their  property,  both  real  and  personal,  to  the 
other  organization.  Secondly,  the  clerk  is  authorized  to 
grant  letters  to  other  churches  to  any  members  who  arc 
unwilling  to  join  in  the  merger,  and  to  issue  letters  for  all 
of  the  members  addressed  to  the  church  with  which  it  is 
planned  to  unite.  Such  letters  should  be  prepared  in  ad- 
vance and  be  ready  to  be  signed  as  soon  as  the  vote  is  cast. 
The  names  of  all  those  who  are  to  unite  with  the  proposed 
church  may  be  included  in  a  single  letter.  All  these  papers 
being  duly  signed  and  delivered,  a  vote  to  disband  is  in 
order.  Care  should  be  taken  that  this  vote  is  not  passed 
until  all  the  preliminaries  of  the  merger  have  been  attended 
to. 

The  third  method  also  is  comparatively  simple.  A  new 
church  being  organized  and  incorporated,  each  of  the  older 
churches  may  convey  its  property  and  transfer  its  member- 
ship to  the  new  organization.  In  some  respects  this  is  the 
simplest  method  of  the  three,  but  it  has  the  serious  disad- 
vantage of  sacrificing  the  past  history  of  the  two  organiza- 
tions. This  may  be  avoided  if  care  is  taken  to  include  in 
the  enacting  clause  of  the  vote  of  merger  a  statement  that 
this  church  perpetuates  in  its  organization  both  the  merg- 
ing churches  and  considers  as  its  date  of  organization  the 
date  of  the  older  church  of  the  two. 

The  choice  of  name  does  not  necessarily  depend  upon 
the  question  which  of  these  three  forms  is  employed.  For 
instance,  if  the  First  and  Second  Churches  of  a  given  town 
unite,  the  union  may  perpetuate  the  organization  of  the 
Second  Church  and  the  name  and  history  of  the  First 
Church;  or,  they  may  adopt  the  constitution  and  covenant 
of  the   First    Church   and    continue   the    history   of   both 


THE    ORGANIZATION    OF   A    CHURCH  127 

churches,  but  adopt  a  new  name,  as  for  instance,  Plymouth 
Church. 

The  principles  and  methods  laid  down  in  this  section 
are  valid ;  yet  the  union  of  two  or  more  churches  is  so  deli- 
cate a  matter,  involving  so  many  vested  interests,  that  it  is 
wise  to  consult  a  good  Christian  lawyer  and  someone  expert 
in  church  polity.  In  some  of  the  older  states  a  special  act 
of  the  legislature  has  been  found  necessary  to  effect  mergers 
and  at  the  same  time  to  preserve  historic  and  vested  rights. 

The  new  First  Church  in  Chicago  combines  the  First 
and  Union  Park  churches,  but  takes  the  date  of  the  new 
organization  in  1910.  The  combination  might  have  been 
so  accomplished  as  to  retain  the  date  of  the  original  First 
Church,   1851. 

What  Are  the  Rights  of  the  Minority  in  Cases  of 
Merger?  In  case  two  churches  unite  against  the  will  of 
some  of  the  members  of  one  or  the  other  of  the  merging 
churches,  the  minority  members  lose  none  of  their  rights 
by  the  merger.  They  are  entitled  to  vote  against  it  if  they 
choose.  If,  however,  their  vote  does  not  prevail  and  the 
merger  is  effected,  it  is  their  Christian  duty  to  accept  the 
situation.  They  are  entitled  to  ask  for  letters  to  other 
churches  if  they  wish.  If  they  do  not  desire  such  letters, 
they  are  still  members  in  good  standing  in  the  united 
church.  The  church  should  so  regard  them  and  they  should 
so  regard  themselves.  Their  covenant  duty  is  to  seek  the 
edification,  purity,  and  peace  of  the  church.  They  should 
do  this  consistently  and  conscientiously,  and  the  church 
should  bear  with  them  patiently  in  the  pain  they  feel  by 
reason  of  the  merger.  If  they  cannot  become  reconciled 
to  the  new  organization,  they  should  ask  for  letters  and 
withdraw  in  a  spirit  of  love,  but  if  they  stay,  as  they  have 
a  perfect  right  to  stay,  their  privileges  and  duties  are  in  no 
way  impaired  by  their  having  voted  with  the  minority. 
All  the  privileges  and  all  the  duties  which  were  theirs  be- 
fore the  merger  continue  in  the  united  church.  So  long  as 
the  question  of  the  merger  is  under  discussion  they  have  a 


128        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

right  to  vote  and  speak  against  it.  After  the  merger  is 
effected  they  should  desist  from  further  opposition. 

May  a  Church  Divide?  A  church  may  divide  by  vote. 
This  action,  however,  is  unusual.  It  is  very  different  from 
that  which  one  church  takes  in  uniting  with  another.  A 
church  cannot  by  majority  vote  dismiss  a  group  of  mem- 
bers against  their  individual  choice.  It  cannot  create  a 
new  church  by  setting  apart  certain  of  its  members  who 
are  to  form  it  whether  they  will  or  no.  A  parish  may 
divide  geographically,  but  it  cannot  compel  one  of  its  mem- 
bers who  lives  beyond  the  dividing  line  to  transfer  his 
membership  to  the  organization  not  of  his  choice.  In  a 
case  where  a  church  is  removing  from  the  center  to  one 
side  of  its  parish  and  finds  it  advisable  to  plant  an  organi- 
zation on  the  farther  side,  it  is  seldom  advisable  to  attempt 
a  horizontal  division  of  the  membership.  It  will  usually 
be  found  better  to  form  a  new  organization  on  the  opposite 
side  from  that  where  the  mother  church  is  located  and  to 
advise  members  living  upon  that  side  of  the  town  or  parish 
to  transfer  their  relations  to  it  as  charter  members.  In 
such  cases  regular  letters  would  be  given  to  the  members 
of  the  newer  church.  But  such  a  vote  is  advisory  only. 
If  the  members  resident  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  new 
church  prefer  to  retain  their  membership  in  the  old  church, 
they  have  that  right. 

How  May  Other  Churches  Become  Congregational? 
An  undenominational  church  may  by  vote  become  Congre- 
gational. It  may  and  should  also  vote  to  apply  for  admis- 
sion into  the  Congregational  Association  within  whose 
bounds  it  is  situated.  On  being  received  by  that  body,  it 
becomes  a  Congregational  church  in  good  standing  and  in 
fellowship.  A  church  afifiliated  with  a  denomination  other 
than  Congregational  should  first  sever  its  relations  with 
that  denomination  by  withdrawing  from  conference,  pres- 
bytery, or  other  ecclesiastical  connections,  in  order  to  unite 
with  the  district  association  of  Congregational  churches. 

If  any  members  in  such  a  church  vote  against  uniting 


THE    ORGANIZATION    OF   A    CHURCH  129 

with  the  Congregational  denomination,  they  are  not  thereby 
cut  off  from  membership  in  the  church.  In  case  a  Univer- 
salist  or  Unitarian  church  votes  to  become  Congregational, 
and  certain  of  its  members  vote  against  the  change  and  re- 
fuse to  accept  the  covenant  or  conform  to  the  doctrinal 
views  supposed  to  be  involved  in  the  change,  these  mem- 
bers do  not  thereby  cut  themselves  oflf  from  fellowship  with 
the  church  of  which  they  have  been  members,  or  of  the 
denomination  into  which  they  come.  They  still  are  mem- 
bers in  good  and  regular  standing,  and  should  be  treated 
with  great  consideration.  They  on  their  part  should  also 
remember  their  obligation  to  seek  the  welfare  of  the  church 
of  which  they  still  are  members  and  of  the  denomination 
of  which  they  now  have  become  a  part.  If  they  continue 
to  object  to  the  change  and  demand  dismission,  they  should 
be  dismissed  affectionately,  and  to  the  church  of  their  choice. 
Ordinarily  such  dismission  should  be  requested  prior  to  the 
merger,  but  if  the  request  is  delayed  and  is  made  later,  it 
is  both  courteous  and  expedient  to  grant  the  request. 


VIII.    THE  CONDUCT  OF  CHURCH  BUSINESS 

What  General  Rules  Govern  Church  Business?  Each 
local  church  makes  its  own  rules  for  the  conduct  of  its 
meetings.  When  a  rule  of  the  local  church  provides  for 
the  transaction  of  business  according  to  a  particular  form 
or  method,  such  rule  takes  precedence  over  all  general  rules. 
Such  rule  is  to  be  interpreted,  however,  in  the  light  of 
general  principles  and  of  denominational  usage.  Where  no 
specific  rule  exists,  general  parliamentary  law  and  usages 
of  the  denomination  govern.  It  is  well  for  every  church  to 
have  in  its  by-laws  a  reference  to  some  work  of  acknowl- 
edged repute  and  standing  to  which  final  appeal  is  to  be 
made  in  matters  not  provided  for  in  local  rules.  Such  a 
by-law  may  read  as  follows :  "In  all  matters  not  provided 
for  in  the  constitution  of  the  church,  or  in  these  by-laws 

and  rules,  this  church  shall  be  governed  by 

Congregational  Manual." 

What  Is  the  Jurisdiction  of  the  Local  Church?  The 
local  church  has  supreme  authority  in  matters  pertaining 
to  its  own  government,  but  the  principle  of  autonomy  goes 
farther  in  its  application  than  the  local  church.  As  the 
local  church  is  self-governing  in  its  own  sphere,  so  is  the 
District  Association  within  its  sphere,  and  the  State  Con- 
ference in  matters  for  which  the  churches  of  the  state  have 
created  it.  The  principle  of  local  autonomy  does  not  mean 
that  any  one  local  church  shall  rule  a  conference  of 
churches.  As  the  local  church  is  supreme  in  its  own  inter- 
nal affairs,  so  the  churches  constituting  an  Association 
possess  an  autonomy  in  matters  of  associated  concern. 

In  matters  concerning  the  denomination  as  a  whole,  the 
National  Council  has  its  own  autonomy.  It  cannot  legis- 
late for  any  state  conference,  or  district  association,  or  even 
for  any  local  church;  at  the  same  time,  the  principle  of 
local  autonomy  does  not  mean  that  the  single  local  church 
has  authority  over  all  the  churches.  The  smaller  body  can- 
not be  compelled  to  obey  the  larger  one;  neither  can  the 


THE   CONDUCT   OF   CHURCH   BUSINESS  131 

smaller  body  veto,  excepting  for  itself  and  within  its  own 
sphere,  the  finding  of  the  larger  body.  Within  the  local 
church  itself  the  authority  of  that  church  is  greater  than 
that  of  the  State  Conference,  or  even  of  the  National  Coun- 
cil ;  but  in  the  transaction  of  the  business  of  the  state  or 
nation,  the  local  church  is  one  among  many,  and  has  as 
much  authority  as  is  expressed  in  the  votes  of  its  accredited 
delegates,  and  in  their  combined  wisdom  expressed  in  a 
deliberative  body  wherein  all  other  churches  within  the 
same  territory  are  entitled  to  like  representation. 

Independence  of  Local  Church.  Each  Congregational  church  is 
independent  of  every  other  church.  Any  number  of  believers  may 
come  together  and  form  a  church.  These  behevers,  thus  associ- 
ated, are  responsible  to  themselves  alone  under  their  acknowledged 
Head,  Jesus  Christ.  If  there  is  any  relation  this  communion  may 
hold  with  any  other  church,  it  is  not  of  any  organized  sort,  since 
no  other  church,  or  any  number  of  churches,  may  legislate  for  it. — • 
Asher  Anderson:  Congregational  Faith  and  Practice,  p.  5. 

Are  Home  Missionary  Churches  Self-Go verning?  Any 
church  while  receiving  home  missionary  aid  should  recog- 
nize the  guidance  of  the  body  through  which  the  aid  is 
extended.  To  call  a  pastor  who  is  disapproved  by  the 
society  which  is  expected  to  aid  in  his  support  is  not  rea- 
sonable independence.  A  church  which  has  received  home 
missionary  aid  or  assistance  from  the  Church  Building  So- 
ciety and  which  proposes  to  sever  denominational  relations 
before  it  has  repaid  that  aid,  displays  not  reasonable  inde- 
pendence but  a  close  approach  to  dishonesty.  The  fact  that 
a  church  is  financially  dependent  does  not,  however,  de- 
stroy its  autonomy.  It  might  be  said  that  a  dependent 
church  is  not  an  independent  church ;  but  that  would  be 
true  only  within  certain  limits.  A  dependent  church  loses 
none  of  its  independence,  excepting  within  the  sphere  of 
that  dependence.  Financial  dependence  involves  certain 
principles  of  financial  honor  which  should  be  sacredly  rec- 
ognized ;  but  the  dependence  ends  with  the  discharge  of 
such  obligations  as  grow  out  of  those  financial  relations. 
We  meet,  therefore,  the  paradox  that  a  dependent  church 
may,  notwithstanding,  be  an  independent  church,  but  the 


132         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

dependence  imposes  certain  restrictions  upon  the  independ- 
ence. 

What  Constitutes  Final  Authority?  The  civil  courts 
have  repeatedly  been  called  upon  to  decide  questions  be- 
tween local  churches  and  the  denominations  to  which  they 
belong.  Two  very  different  sets  of  decisions  have  been 
handed  down,  based  on  the  question  whether  the  local 
church  is  or  is  not  self-governing  according  to  the  usage 
of  its  own  denomination.  The  United  States  Supreme 
Court  has  decided  that  in  any  given  denomination  the  high- 
est ecclesiastical  court  within  the  denomination  will  be 
recognized  by  the  civil  authority.  In  Congregationalism, 
therefore,  each  local  church  is  supreme  in  all  matters  per- 
taining to  its  own  government.  In  matters  which  relate 
to  the  lawful  claims  of  the  denomination  through  mission- 
ary societies,  district  associations,  or  other  bodies,  the  de- 
nomination has  a  right  to  safeguard  itself  for  the  protection 
of  vested  rights. 

How  Should  Church  Meetings  Be  Called?  The  ordinary 
business  of  a  local  church  may  be  transacted  at  any  mid- 
week meeting,  or  in  case  of  necessity  at  the  Sunday  serv- 
ice, without  previous  notice.  No  question  involving  the 
appropriation  of  money,  or  important  change  in  the  polity 
of  the  church,  or  amendment  to  its  system  of  doctrine  or 
rules,  should  be  undertaken  without  previous  public  notice. 
Constitutions  commonly  specify  the  manner  in  which  such 
notices  should  be  given.  In  the  absence  of  specific  rules, 
it  may  be  accepted  as  a  sound  principle  that  no  measure 
involving  a  considerable  expenditure  of  money,  or  sale,  or 
incumbrance  of  the  church  property,  or  alteration  in  the 
church  building,  or  change  in  the  constitution  or  rules 
should  be  adopted  at  the  same  meeting  at  which  it  is  pro- 
posed. Having  been  introduced,  it  should  lie  upon  the 
table  for  at  least  one  week,  and  announcement  of  it  be 
made  from  the  pulpit,  and  if  the  action  proposed  is  radical, 
a  larger  and  more  general  notice  should  be  given.  In  gen- 
eral, propositions  contemplating  the  expenditure  of  money 


THE   CONDUCT   OF   CHURCH   BUSINESS  133 

should  previously  be  considered  by  the  trustees,  and  mat- 
ters affecting  the  polity,  doctrine  or  spiritual  concerns  of 
the  church  should  be  considered  by  the  deacons  or  pru- 
dential committee.  This  is  not  legally  necessary,  but  it  is 
a.  courteous  recognition  of  those  in  office.  It  tends  to 
assure  care  in  the  preparation  of  business,  and  a  motion 
gains  greatly  in  favor  if  the  person  proposing  it  is  able  to 
state  that  this  has  received  the  approval  of  the  official 
board  whom  most  nearly  it  concerns. 

How  Are  Special  Meetings  Called?  Special  meetings 
may  usually  be  called  by  the  pastor,  or  by  one  of  the  official 
boards,  or  by  the  petition  of  a  group  of  members,  not  less 
than  five  in  number.  Where  a  special  meeting  is  called, 
the  purpose  for  which  it  is  called  should  be  definitely  stated 
in  the  notice.    Such  a  notice  might  read  as  follows : 

"A  special  meeting  of  the  church  is  hereby  called  in 
the  lecture  room  of  the  church  at  8  o'clock  on  Wednesday 
evening,  January  25,  to  consider  the  question  of  purchasing 
a  new  organ." 

As  such  a  call  involves  both  music  and  money,  it  might 
properly  be  signed  by  the  Music  Committee  and  the 
trustees.  If  the  matter  involved  were  a  change  in  the  creed 
or  order  of  service,  it  might  properly  be  signed  by  the 
deacons.  Any  considerable  group  of  members,  however, 
may  call  a  meeting  for  a  particular  purpose,  public  notice 
being  given  from  the  pulpit  in  regular  form.  Many 
churches  specify  a  minimum  number  of  members,  as  five, 
seven  or  nine,  who  may  call  a  special  meeting.  It  is  more 
dignified  that  meetings  should  be  called  by  the  pastor  or 
an  official  board,  and  they  will  rarely  refuse.  Where  they 
do  refuse,  however,  the  rights  of  the  members  are  to  be 
protected  as  above  stated. 

What  Constitutes  a  Quorum?  Every  church  ought  to 
provide  in  its  rules  for  a  quorum.  The  rules  should  state 
the  smallest  number  of  members  who  may  legally  do  busi- 
ness in  the  name  of  the  church.  Where  no  quorum  is  pro- 
vided for  in  the  rules,  the  business  of  the  church  may  be 


134        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

transacted  by  any  number  of  members  assembled  in  a 
meeting  regularly  called. 

If  a  quorum  is  present  at  the  beginning  of  the  meeting, 
it  is  assumed  to  be  present  throughout  unless  the  question 
of  a  quorum  is  raised.  If  a  group  of  members  wish  to 
defeat  the  evident  purpose  of  the  majority  of  a  small  meet- 
ing by  withdrawing  and  leaving  the  meeting  without  a 
quorum,  they  should  distinctly  call  attention  of  the  chair 
to  their  proposed  departure,  and  to  the  fact  that  the  meet- 
ing will  then  lack  a  quorum. 

May  a  Meeting  Transact  Other  Business  than  That  for 
Which  It  Is  Called?  A  special  meeting  of  the  church  may 
not  properly  transact  any  other  business  than  that  for 
which  it  is  called.  For  instance,  if  a  group  of  five  members 
of  the  church  request  the  reading  of  a  notice  on  a  given 
Sunday  morning  that  a  meeting  be  held  on  some  evening 
during  the  week  "to  consider  the  general  interests  of  the 
church,"  such  a  meeting  has  no  authority  to  demand  the 
resignation  of  the  pastor,  or  to  transact  any  business  what- 
ever. If  the  call  were  to  read,  "to  consider  general  interests 
of  this  church  and  to  take  such  action  relating  thereto  as 
the  church  may  by  vote  determine,"  the  meeting  could 
transact  almost  any  business  not  forbidden  by  its  rules. 
If  such  a  meeting  should  demand  the  resignation  of  the 
pastor,  such  action  would  be  subject,  however,  to  any  gen- 
eral rule  of  the  church  relating  to  the  tenure  of  the  pas- 
toral office,  as  for  instance,  that  it  could  only  be  terminated 
on  a  three  months'  notice  or  by  a  concurrent  vote  of  an 
ecclesiastical  council. 

It  is  not  wise  for  a  church  to  attempt  to  conceal  the 
object  for  which  a  meeting  is  to  be  held.  The  precise 
matter  to  be  submitted  to  the  church  should  be  stated  in 
the  call;  otherwise  serious  question  may  arise  as  to  the 
authority  of  the  meeting  to  act  in  the  premises. 

Where  special  meetings  are  called,  whether  by  one  of 
the  official  boards  or  by  a  group  of  members,  the  call  with 
the  signatures  of  those  who  have  drafted  it  should  be  read 


THE   CONDUCT   OF  CHURCH   BUSINESS  135 

from  the  pulpit  on  the  Sunday  previous  to  the  meeting  and 
incorporated  into  the  minutes  of  the  meeting. 

Who  Presides  at  Church  Meetings?  Unless  the  consti- 
tution of  the  church  provides  otherwise,  the  pastor  com- 
monly acts  as  moderator  in  all  business  meetings  of  the 
church,  excepting  those  which  relate  to  his  own  salary  or 
work,  or  which  may  be  called  for  the  consideration  of  some 
matter  in  which  he  has  a  personal  interest.  Some  churches 
provide  in  their  constitutions  for  an  elected  moderator 
other  than  the  pastor.  In  some  states  the  moderator  must 
be  elected  annually.  In  Massachusetts,  the  circular  sent 
out  by  the  Secretary  of  State  to  churches  that  are  planning 
to  incorporate  definitely  recommends  that  the  moderator 
be  not  the  pastor  of  the  church. 

In  churches  which  have  no  rule  concerning  the  moder- 
ator and  in  which  the  pastor  presides  by  right  of  established 
custom,  the  church  may  at  any  meeting  elect  another 
moderator  at  its  pleasure.  In  the  absence  of  the  pastor,  the 
meeting  may  be  called  to  order  by  the  senior  deacon,  or  if 
the  business  in  hand  relate  particularly  to  money  or  prop- 
erty interests,  by  the  chairman  of  the  board  of  trustees,  if 
the  trustees  are  elected  by  the  church  and  not  by  the 
society. 

Should  the  Pastor  Preside?  It  is  manifestly  improper  that  the 
pastor  should  preside  at  a  meeting  where  the  subject  of  his  con- 
tinuance in  the  pastorate  is  to  be  considered,  or  any  matter  regard- 
ing his  relation  to  the  church.  Even  if  he  has  a  legal  right  as  a 
member  to  be  there,  he  should  never  claim  it.  A  minister  who 
stands  on  his  legal  rights  either  has  already  lost,  or  is  sure  to  for- 
feit, his  claim  under  the  law  of  Christ. — Boynton:  The  Congrega- 
tional Way,  p.  72. 

Must  the  Presiding  Officer  at  Church  Meetings  Be  a 
Member  of  the  Church?  Unless  the  constitution  of  the 
church  requires  it,  there  is  no  reason  why  the  presiding 
officer  at  a  church  meeting  should  invariably  be  a  member 
of  the  church.  There  are  times  when  it  is  expedient  that 
a  church  choose  some  other  person  to  preside  at  a  partic- 
ular meeting.  This  may  occur  while  there  is  a  threatened 
division  in  the  church  or  in  a  case  where  the  church  finds 


136        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

itself  in  need  of  expert  advice.  There  are  many  deliber- 
ative bodies  in  w^hich  this  liberty  prevails.  The  House  of 
Representatives  in  Congress  has  thus  far  uniformly  chosen 
one  of  its  own  members  as  presiding  officer,  but  at  different 
times  the  possibility  of  another  choice  has  been  consid- 
ered. There  is  nothing  in  the  Constitution  or  Statutes  of 
the  United  States  which  would  prevent  the  House  of  Rep- 
resentatives from  choosing  as  its  speaker  any  person  whom 
it  deemed  advisable  so  to  elect.  It  has  been  truthfully  said 
that  the  House  could  choose  as  its  speaker  "a  foreign  prin- 
cess under  age."  The  church  has  the  same  liberty,  though 
ordinarily  the  moderator  will  naturally  be  chosen  from  the 
membership. 

Who  Presides  at  Annual  Meetings?  At  annual  meet- 
ings of  an  incorporated  church  the  custom  varies  somewhat 
according  to  the  laws  and  usages  of  the  different  states. 
In  some  of  the  New  England  states  a  moderator  must  be 
elected.  The  following  statement  by  Dr.  Boynton  holds 
good  in  some  states  but  not  in  all : 

Moderator  at  Annual  Meetings.  At  the  annual  meeting  of  an 
incorporated  church  the  moderator  must  be  elected,  usually  by  bal- 
lot, and  it  depends  on  the  church  whether  it  shall  be  the  pastor  or 
not.  If  some  other  member  will  preside  better  or  more  impartially, 
that  should  decide  the  choice. — Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p.  72. 

Has  the  Pastor  the  Power  of  Veto?  The  pastor,  it 
should  not  need  to  be  said,  has  no  veto  over  the  action  of 
his  church.  He  has  the  authority  of  his  office  as  a  presiding 
officer,  and  no  more.  He  may  not  properly  use  his  position 
to  further  his  own  measures  in  any  manner  that  would  be 
unbecoming  in  any  other  presiding  officer. 

Power  of  Veto.  Increase  Mather,  in  his  Disquisition  on  Eccle- 
siastical Councils  (p.  14)  incidentally  intimates  that  the  Platform 
gives  the  pastor  the  power  of  veto  in  the  church  of  which  he  is 
pastor.  Eliot,  in  his  "Ecclesiastical  History  of  Massachusetts," 
says:  "After  the  Platform,  some  ministers  claimed  more  than  it  gave 
them,  and  some  claimed  a  power  to  negative  the  proceedings  of  the 
church."  Zabdiel  Adams,  in  his  "Answer  to  a  Treatise  on  Church 
Government,"  says:  "The  keys  are  so  lodged  with  elders  and  breth- 
ren as  never  to  be  used  but  by  mutual  consent."  He  maintains 
that,  since  ruling  elders  have  ceased,  the  whole  power  of  the  bench 
of  elders  rests  with  the  pastor  (pp.  76-83).     Eliot  asserts  that  in 


THE   CONDUCT   OF   CHURCH   BUSINESS  137 

these  matters  he  took  a  position  which  could  not  be  maintained  by 
the  Platform,  nor  any  just  sentiments  of  religious  freedom. — Cum- 
Lechford:  Plain  Dealing,  in  Hist.  Soc.  Col.,  Series  III,  Vol.  Ill,  74. 

No  Veto  Power.  Not  even  an  installed  pastor  may  refuse  to 
put  a  motion  when  properly  made,  much  less  can  he  refuse  to  de- 
clare the  vote  or  veto  church  action.  He  may  vacate  the  chair  and 
resign  his  pastorate;  but  should  he  presume  to  lord  it  over  the 
church  in  any  one  of  these  three  ways,  the  church  may  remove  him 
from  the  chair  by  electing  another  moderator  in  his  stead.  The 
pastor,  as  moderator,  is  bound  by  the  ordinary  parliamentary  rules, 
except  as  they  are  modified  by  Congregational  usages. — Ross: 
Church-Kingdom,  p.  191. 

Do  the  Majority  Rule?  The  statement  that  the  majority 
rule  may  be  accepted  as  being-  generally  true.  This  does 
not,  however,  imply  the  right  of  a  majority  to  ride  rough- 
shod over  the  feelings  of  the  minority.  The  purpose  of  the 
majority  vote  is  to  determine  the  will  of  God  through  the 
judgment  of  the  membership.  Where  a  strong  difference 
of  opinion  develops,  the  majority  at  the  particular  time  of 
the  ballot  is  not  certainly  indicative  of  the  will  of  God.  The 
spirit  of  truth  often  finds  expression  through  the  protest 
of  the  minority.  The  majority  should  carefully  consider 
any  serious  protest  on  the  part  of  the  minority  and  proceed 
with  Christian  deliberation  and  with  brotherly  spirit. 
Questions  likely  to  be  divisive  should  rarely  be  forced  to 
a  vote  until  there  has  been  patient  and  loving  effort  to 
secure  unanimity.  The  minority  may  not  determine  the 
policy  of  the  church ;  but  when  there  is  earnest  protest  by 
a  considerable  minority,  Christian  courtesy  will  ordinarily 
indicate  the  wisdom  of  deferring  action  until  there  can  be 
practical  unanimity. 

Majority.  Whatever  passes  in  the  church  by  a  majority  of  the 
brethren  is  a  church  act. — Isaac  Chauncy:  Divine  Inst.  Cong. 
Churches,  p.  105. 

The  greater  number  must  always  rule,  but  they  are,  in  certain 
cases,  under  moral  obligation  not  to  insist  on  their  right;  as,  for 
instance,  in  receiving  a  new  member  to  the  church  when  a  portion 
seem  conscientiously  dissatisfied. — Watts:  Foundation  of  a  Chris- 
tian Church;  Works,  iii,  p.  240. 

Majorities  must  govern,  and  minorities  ought  to  rest  satisfied, 
save  in  cases  of  conscience,  where  they  should  protest. — Hopkins: 
System,  ii,  350-350. 

The  churches  govern  each  by  all  the  members  unanimously,  or 


138        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

else  by  the  major  part,  wherein  every  one  hath  equal  vote  and 
superspection  w^ith  their  ministers.  In  Boston,  they  commonly 
rule  by  unanimous  consent,  if  they  can;  in  Salem,  by  majorities. — 
Letchford:  Plain  Dealing,  in  Hist.  Soc.  Col.,  Series  IH,  Vol.  HI,  74. 

It  is  not  common  to  settle  questions  of  great  importance  by 
the  vote  of  a  bare  majority.  A  greater  degree  of  unanimity  is 
usually  sought,  and  generally  obtained. — Punchard:  View  of  Con- 
gregationalism, p.  170. 

Theory  and  Method.  Our  theory,  however,  is  unanimity,  not 
majority  and  minority.  We  seek  the  instruction,  conviction  and 
unanimous  action  of  the  total  constituency  involved.  We  labor 
and  wait  for  this,  believing  in  it,  knowing  it  to  be  the  highest 
reservoir  of  power.  Our  system  stands  for  the  utmost  absence 
of  unwelcome  coercion,  though  it  should  be  but  the  carrying  away 
of  a  small  minority  by  a  great  majority  on  a  trivial  issue.  And  we 
believe  that  what  is  true  and  wise  ought  to  be,  and  at  length  will 
be,  unanimously  accepted.  We  are,  on  the  other  hand,  quite  ac- 
customed to  the  power  of  minorities  to  hinder  or  to  mar,  even  to 
hold  the  real  truth  and  carry  it  finally  to  victory. — Nash:  Cong. 
Administration,  pp.  26-27. 

Is  Church  Business  Governed  by  Parliamentary  Rules? 
Church  business  is  governed  by  ordinary  parliamentary 
rules,  and  members  should  be  careful  to  observe  these  rules 
in  all  business  and  discussions.  This  does  not  mean,  how^- 
ever,  that  such  rules  should  be  administered  arbitrarily, 
or  that  a  member  who,  through  lack  of  technical  know^l- 
edge,  makes  a  mistake  in  the  mere  form  of  his  motion  or 
discussion  should  be  ruled  out  of  order  in  arbitrary  fashion. 
Methods  of  securing  advantage  in  the  form  of  a  vote, 
which  might  be  perfectly  allowable  in  a  political  convention 
and  quite  in  order  from  the  standpoint  of  mere  parlia- 
mentary law,  may  be  highly  discourteous  in  meetings  for 
the  transaction  of  the  business  of  the  church.  Church  busi- 
ness should  be  transacted  in  a  brotherly  spirit.  All  things 
should  be  done  decently  and  in  order,  with  fraternal  con- 
sideration and  without  needless  technicality. 

Common  Rules  Observed.  All  matters  relating  to  the  affairs 
of  any  Christian  church,  or  of  the  churches  assembled  together, 
should  be  discussed  and  decided  in  the  simplest  and  most  fraternal 
way.  And  yet,  in  order  that  progress  may  be  made,  and  that  all 
may  be  content  with  the  results,  it  is  necessary  that  the  common 
rules  for  conducting  business  should  be  observed  by  all  and  en- 
forced by  the  presiding  officer. — Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p. 
202. 


THE  CONDUCT   OF   CHURCH  BUSINESS  139 

Where  the  Majority  Leave  the  Meeting,  Can  the  Minor- 
ity Transact  Business?  The  following  case  will  serve  as 
an  illustration  of  what  sometimes  happens:  A  pastor  had 
become  unpopular  with  the  majority  of  his  members.  A 
meeting  was  called  to  consider  the  advisability  of  request- 
ing his  resignation.  Just  before  the  time  of  the  meeting 
word  was  whispered  round  among  those  present  that  the 
minister  himself  intended  to  be  at  the  meeting  and  to  take 
the  chair,  and  there  was  fear  that  if  he  did  so  his  presence 
and  personal  influence  would  defeat  the  will  of  the  majority. 
About  one  hundred  members  quietly  withdrew  to  a  private 
house  and  there  held  a  meeting  in  which  they  passed  a 
motion  demanding  the  resignation  of  the  minister.  Only 
eleven  persons  remained  in  the  church  building.  The  con- 
stitution provided  that  thirteen  should  be  necessary  for  a 
quorum.  These  eleven  sent  out  and  with  some  difficulty 
secured  two  other  members  to  come  and  attend  their  meet- 
ing. This  meeting  requested  the  minister  to  remain  as 
pastor  of  the  church.  Which  was  the  real  meeting  of  the 
church? 

The  thirteen  members  constituted  the  meeting  of  the 
church.  Any  majority  of  a  hundred  who  would  withdraw 
for  fear  of  a  minister  who  had  a  pitiful  handful  of  eleven 
members  at  his  back  would  richly  deserve  to  be  ruled  by 
the  minority.  Whether  it  would  be  wise  for  the  minister 
to  remain  as  pastor  of  a  church  in  the  face  of  such  strong 
opposition  is  another  question.  The  one  hundred  members 
who  withdrew  forfeited  their  right  to  determine  the  ques- 
tion of  the  pastorate.  If  they  feared  the  minister  would 
preside,  it  was  easily  within  their  power  to  remove  him 
from  the  chair.  Any  member  could  have  risen,  and  some 
member  should  have  risen,  and  nominated  another  person 
as  moderator.  The  pastor  not  only  should  not  have  pre- 
sided, but,  after  making  his  personal  statement,  should 
have  withdrawn  from  the  room. 

Where  the  Majority  Leave  the  Church,  Which  Is  the 
Church?     Where  a  majority  of  the  members  demand  their 


140         THE    LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

letters  and  withdraw  from  the  church,  they  have  a  right  to 
form  another  church,  but  they  cannot  rule  the  church  which 
they  have  left,  or  claim  to  be  the  church ;  nor  can  they  re- 
turn and  participate  in  its  deliberations. 

In  one  case,  a  majority  of  the  members  being  opposed 
to  the  minister  demanded  their  letters  and  the  letters  were 
granted.  These  letters,  however,  were  not  presented  to 
any  other  church  and  at  the  time  of  the  next  annual  meet- 
ing these  dismissed  members  returned,  and,  being  a  major- 
ity present  at  the  meeting,  insisted  upon  their  right  to  vote. 
They  had  no  such  right.  Church  members  who  attempt  to 
govern  the  church  by  leaving  it  must  abide  by  the  results 
of  that  decision.  If  they  fail  to  drive  out  a  minister  by 
that  not  very  courteous  or  courageous  method  and  do  not 
succeed  in  forcing  his  resignation,  they  must  permit  the 
church  to  govern  itself,  for  those  who  remain  constitute 
the  church  even  though  they  are  a  minority  of  its  previous 
membership. 

What  Rules  Govern  Annual  Meetings  of  the  Church? 
The  constitution  or  rules  of  a  church  should  provide  a  time 
and  order  of  business  for  its  annual  meeting.  In  many 
churches  this  meeting  is  held  near  the  end  of  December  or 
early  in  January.  This  has  the  advantage  of  making  the 
church  fiscal  year  coincident  with  the  calendar  year.  It 
has  the  serious  disadvantage  of  dividing  the  year  of  church 
activity  in  the  middle.  As  the  custom  of  summer  vacations 
grows,  the  church  year  becomes  more  and  more  the  period 
from  autumn  to  summer.  Some  churches  meet  this  diffi- 
culty by  holding  their  annual  meeting  early  in  the  autumn 
and  their  meeting  for  final  reports  in  the  early  part  of  Jan- 
uary. This  enables  the  officers  to  plan  for  the  season  of 
work  without  uncertainty  as  to  their  tenure  of  office,  and 
it  also  enables  the  church  to  close  its  books  and  account 
for  its  moneys  at  the  end  of  the  calendar  year,  and  tends 
to  unite  the  churches  in  a  common  fiscal  year. 

The  business  of  the  church  meeting  usually  includes  the 
election  of  officers,  the  hearing  of  reports,  and  the  summing 


THE  CONDUCT   OF  CHURCH  BUSINESS  141 

up  of  the  work  of  the  year.  It  is  customary  to  elect  the 
clerk  and  treasurer  for  a  single  year,  but  deacons  and 
trustees  are  usually  elected  in  terms  so  that  only  one-half 
and  frequently  less  than  one-half  of  these  officers  are  chosen 
annually.  This  method  provides  for  occasional  changes  in 
the  governing  boards  of  the  church  and  also  for  a  degree 
of  continuity  in  their  management. 

What  Business  Should  Be  Recorded?  The  essential 
items  to  be  entered  upon  the  records  in  regard  to  any  par- 
ticular meeting  are:  first,  the  time  and  place  of  meeting, 
with  a  copy  of  the  call,  if  a  special  call  has  been  issued ; 
secondly,  the  devotional  service  with  which  a  meeting  is 
opened;  thirdly,  the  name  of  the  moderator;  fourthly,  the 
reading  of  past  records  and  a  statement  of  their  approval 
by  the  church;  fifthly,  the  business  transacted,  including 
reports  of  committees,  unfinished  business,  and  new  busi- 
ness, and  the  incorporation  of  the  full  text  of  all  resolutions 
or  motions  passed  by  the  church ;  sixthly,  a  record  of  the 
time  to  which  the  meeting  adjourns,  if  it  adjourns  to  a 
given  time;  seventhly,  the  vote  of  adjournment;  eighthly, 
the  signature  of  the  clerk. 

Unless  the  church  by  vote  instructs  otherwise,  it  is  not 
necessary  for  the  clerk  to  record  motions  that  are  made 
and  not  carried.  Unless  there  is  a  yea  and  nay  vote,  the 
names  of  persons  favoring  or  opposing  a  motion  should 
not  be  recorded.  It  is  not  necessary,  and  it  is  not  generally 
expedient,  to  record  the  names  of  persons  making  or  read- 
ing motions,  but  when  formal  resolutions  are  adopted  the 
name  of  the  member  or  committee  or  board  presenting  them 
should  be  recorded. 

All  motions  should  be  written  excepting  those  that  are 
of  so  simple  a  character  that  the  clerk  can  have  no  difficulty 
in  understanding  and  recording  them. 

Who  Has  a  Right  to  the  Church  Records?  The  records 
of  the  church  pertaining  to  finances  are  in  the  custody  of 
the  treasurer,  who  should  report  statedly  to  the  church, 
and  his  reports  should  be  incorporated  into  the  records  of 


142         THE    LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

the  church.  All  other  records  relating  to  the  life  of  the 
church  itself  and  not  to  any  of  its  departments  having  its 
own  recording  officer  are  in  the  custody  of  the  clerk.  The 
clerk,  the  treasurer,  and  all  other  officers  hold  their  re- 
spective records,  subject  to  the  authority  of  the  church. 
Church  clerks  have  been  known  unduly  to  magnify  their 
office  and  to  suppose  that  they  had  authority  to  refuse  the 
pastor,  deacons,  or  trustees  the  privilege  of  referring  to 
the  records.  Church  treasurers  also,  and  with  even  more 
of  peril  to  the  welfare  of  the  church,  have  sometimes 
assumed  that  the  records  of  their  financial  transactions 
were  subject  to  no  supervision.  Any  officer  of  the  church 
has  a  right  to  access  to  the  records  for  any  reasonable  pur- 
pose, and  the  church  may  vote  at  any  time  requiring  the 
clerk  or  treasurer  to  produce  the  records.  This  does  not 
mean,  however,  that  the  clerk  must  loan  the  church  books 
to  all  comers ;  on  the  contrary,  he  is  responsible  for  the 
safekeeping  of  the  church  books.  In  an  incorporated  church 
any  member  has  a  legal  right  to  examine  the  church  records, 
under  proper  conditions.  Persons  demanding  access  to 
them  should  examine  them  at  a  suitable  time  and  in  a 
proper  place,  so  that  they  may  be  guarded  from  loss  or 
mutilation. 

May     Church     Officers     Obliterate     Church     Records? 

Church  officers  have  no  authority  to  obliterate  church  rec- 
ords. If  an  action  of  the  church  is  to  be  expunged  from  the 
records,  it  must  be  done  by  vote  of  the  church  and  not  by 
the  act  of  any  officers. 

What  Should  Be  Done  with  Reports?  Reports  of  com- 
mittees should  not  become  a  part  of  the  records  of  meetings 
excepting  in  important  matters  where  the  church  by  vote 
desires  to  include  the  whole  report  as  part  of  its  proceed- 
ings. Where  a  report  includes  resolutions,  the  resolutions 
should  become  a  part  of  the  record  of  the  meeting.  Reports 
should  be  kept  on  file  indefinitely  unless  the  church  votes 
to  destroy.    A  safe  place  should  be  provided  for  old  records 


THE   CONDUCT   OF   CHURCH   BUSINESS  143 

and  reports.  Frequently  these  grow  valuable  in  after  years 
and  are  important  sources  of  local  history. 

How  Are  Votes  Taken  in  Church  Meetings?  Ordinarily 
votes  in  church  meetings  are  taken  viva  voce,  or  by  show 
of  hands.  Apparently  in  the  early  church  voting  was  by 
the  uplifted  hand.  Where  there  is  likely  to  be  no  difference 
of  opinion,  the  simplest  and  easiest  way  of  voting  is  viva 
voce.  If  the  discussion  indicates  that  there  may  be  some 
differences  of  opinion,  a  show  of  hands  is  desirable.  If  the 
vote  is  close,  the  voters  may  be  called  upon  to  rise.  If  a 
vote  has  been  ordered  by  acclamation,  or  by  show  of  hands, 
and  the  moderator  is  in  doubt,  he  may  call  for  a  rising  vote 
before  he  declares  whether  the  vote  prevails  or  not. 

Are  Proxy  Votes  Permitted?  The  question  whether  a 
vote  by  proxy  is  permissible  in  a  Congregational  church 
depends  in  part  upon  the  laws  of  the  state  in  which  a 
church  is  incorporated  and  the  laws  of  corporations  per- 
mitting a  proxy.  If  it  is  admissible  it  must  be  in  strictly 
legal  form,  usually  witnessed  and  sometimes  before  a 
notary.  In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  the  system  of  gov- 
erning churches  by  proxy  votes  is  not  good  Congregation- 
alism. The  story  freely  told  among  lawyers,  of  the  jury 
which  was  proceeding  with  eleven  men,  one  member  having 
gone  away  on  business  but  having  left  his  verdict  with  the 
foreman  in  advance,  is  an  illustration  of  the  point.  A 
deliberative  assembly,  and  especially  a  church  assembly,  is 
for  the  purpose  of  discussion,  conference  and  a  final  decision 
in  the  light  of  all  the  combined  wisdom  of  those  present 
and  voting.  A  proxy  vote  is  an  opinion  registered  before 
the  voter  has  heard  what  the  Holy  Spirit  may  have  to  say 
through  other  minds  than  his  own.  No  one  Christian 
knows  the  whole  mind  of  God  on  any  question  of  church 
policy.  It  is,  therefore,  undesirable  that  questions  be  deter- 
mined by  people  who  are  so  sure  of  their  own  opinion  that 
they  do  not  attend  a  meeting  at  which  they  may  also  hear 
the  opinions  of  others.  Due  notice  of  a  proposed  action 
having  been  given  and  the  rules  of  the  church  complied 


144        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

with,  questions  within  the  church  should  be  decided  by  the 
qualified  members  present  and  voting. 

Is  Irregular  Action  Invalid?  Frequent  question  arises 
concerning  the  validity  of  action  in  cases  of  irregularity  in 
church  meetings.  If  action  is  taken  without  a  quorum,  or 
if  the  moderator  puts  only  one  side  of  the  question,  or  if 
there  has  been  a  clear  violation  of  some  provision  of  the 
constitution,  is  the  action  valid  or  not? 

In  any  such  case  it  is  certainly  irregular;  but  not  every 
irregular  action  is  invalid.  If,  for  instance,  the  meeting 
lacked  a  quorum,  but  had  been  regularly  called,  and  the 
question  of  a  quorum  was  not  raised  at  the  time,  and  the 
minutes  were  later  approved  by  the  church,  it  would  do 
little  good  to  raise  the  issue  a  year  later  that  a  quorum  was 
not  present.  At  a  meeting  regularly  called,  a  quorum  is 
presumed  to  be  present  unless  there  is  call  for  a  quorum. 
If  the  moderator  says  "All  who  are  in  favor,  say  Aye;  the 
motion  is  carried"  and  no  one  at  the  time  objects  to  the 
fact  that  he  did  not  put  the  negative  to  vote,  and  the  record 
is  made  and  approved,  it  will  be  difficult,  if  not  wrong  and 
impossible,  to  invalidate  the  action  later,  except  by  begin- 
ning anew,  and  considering  the  matter  under  a  fresh 
motion. 

There  are  many  actions  which  are  irregular  but  not 
therefore  invalid.  Daniel  Webster  is  said  never  to  have 
been  admitted  to  plead  before  the  Supreme  Court  of  the 
United  States.  It  is  said  that  the  first  time  he  came  to 
plead  a  case  the  clerk  rather  thought  he  had  already  been 
admitted  and  was  too  much  in  awe  of  Webster  to  ask  him, 
and  after  that  no  one  felt  like  challenging  him.  It  would 
be  hard  to  reverse  any  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  at 
this  day  in  one  of  the  cases  in  which  Daniel  Webster  was 
employed  on  the  ground  that  he  had  no  legal  right  to  prac- 
tice in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States.  His  ap- 
pearance there  was  irregular,  but  not  invalid. 

Many  men  have  been  ordained  to  the  ministry  in  our 
own  and  in  other  communions  in  whose  ordination  there 


THE   CONDUCT   OF   CHURCH   BUSINESS  145 

were  irregularities.  Some  irregularities  are  in  their  nature 
a  sufficient  ground  for  refusing  to  grant  to  these  men  min- 
isterial standing.  But  not  every  irregularity  is  in  its  nature 
of  such  character  as  to  disqualify  a  minister.  There  is  a 
distinction  between  irregularity  and  invalidity. 

May  a  Church  Hold  Secret  Meetings?  A  church  may 
and  sometimes  should  hold  meetings  from  which  the  public 
is  excluded.  If  a  church  is  dealing  with  a  delicate  matter 
of  discipline  it  has  a  right  to  insist  that  reporters  be  not 
admitted.  One  faction  of  a  church  may  not,  however,  hold 
meetings  without  public  notice  for  the  purpose  of  excluding 
another  faction.  If  such  meetings  are  held,  they  have  only 
the  status  of  caucuses. 

Must  Every  Member  of  a  Church  Be  Informed  of  Every 
Meeting?  The  methods  of  informing  members  of  special 
meetings  are  provided  in  local  church  rules.  It  is  assumed 
that  members  either  attend  regular  Sunday  church  services, 
or  will  inform  themselves  of  important  announcements 
made  in  their  absence.  Usually  announcement  from  the 
pulpit  is  a  sufficient  notice.  But  it  is  well  to  give  additional 
notice,  either  through  a  repeated  announcement,  or  through 
the  press,  or  by  mail,  of  any  meeting  of  extraordinary  im- 
portance. 

Should  Church  Business  Be  Regarded  as  Confidential? 
The  ordinary  business  of  the  church  is  public  property  and 
should  be  transacted  openly  and  with  no  attempt  at  con- 
cealment; but  when  the  church  is  dealing  with  matters 
affecting  the  reputation  of  any  of  its  members,  each  mem- 
ber of  the  church  should  regard  the  affair  as  a  family 
matter.  The  church  is  in  no  sense  a  secret  society.  Its 
members  are  bound  by  no  oath  to  conceal  any  part  of  the 
business  which  it  transacts,  but  the  members  are  bound  by 
the  laws  of  Christian  brotherhood  and  courtesy  to  seek  the 
edification,  purity,  and  peace  of  the  church,  and  the  welfare 
of  its  separate  members. 

May  the  Church  Eject  an  Intruder?  If  a  church  calls  a 
meeting  of  its  members  and  other  persons  are  present,  the 


146         THE    LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

moderator  may  invite  them  courteously  to  withdraw. 
Should  they  refuse  to  do  so,  they  may  be  required  to  leave 
the  room.  Force  is  legally  permissible  if  the  intruders 
persist  in  their  refusal  to  withdraw;  but  there  is  usually  a 
more  excellent  way. 

May  a  Church  Silence  a  Disturber?  A  church  may 
silence  a  disturber  of  its  meetings  whether  those  meetings 
are  held  for  business  or  worship.  A  person  who  discusses 
a  motion  must  discuss  it  according  to  the  rules  of  the  church 
and  parliamentary  usage.  A  person  who  attends  a  religious 
service  must  treat  that  service  with  respect.  If  he  fails  to 
do  so,  he  may  be  asked  to  withdraw,  and  if  he  refuses  he 
may  be  forcibly  ejected. 

Who  May  Expel  a  Disturber?  The  moderator  of  the 
meeting  or  the  minister  in  charge  of  the  religious  service 
has  authority  to  call  upon  an  ofificer  of  the  law,  if  one  is 
present,  to  eject  a  disturber,  or  he  may  himself  eject  him, 
or  call  upon  his  church  ofiticers  or  ushers  or  other  persons 
present  to  do  so.  Such  persons  should  avoid  the  use  of 
unnecessary  force,  but  if  the  disturber  suffers  somewhat 
through  the  employment  of  force  which  he  has  brought 
upon  himself,  he  cannot  recover  damages  from  the  officer 
who  ordered  his  removal. 

Right  of  an  Assembly  to  Eject  Any  One  from  Its  Place  of 
Meeting.  Every  deliberative  assembly  has  the  right  to  decide  who 
may  be  present  during  its  session;  and  when  the  assembly,  either 
by  a  rule  or  by  a  vote,  decides  that  a  certain  person  shall  not 
remain  in  the  room,  it  is  the  duty  of  the  chairman  to  enforce  the 
rule  of  order,  using  whatever  force  is  necessary  to  eject  the  party. 
The  chairman  can  detail  members  to  remove  the  person,  without 
calling  upon  the  police.  If,  however,  in  enforcing  the  order,  any 
one  uses  harsher  measures  than  is  necessary  to  remove  the  person, 
the  courts  have  held  that  he,  and  he  alone,  is  liable  for  damages, 
just  the  same  as  a  policeman  would  be  under  similar  circumstances. 
However  badly  the  man  may  be  abused  while  being  removed  from 
the  room,  neither  the  chairman  nor  the  society  is  liable  for 
damages,  as,  in  ordering  his  removal,  they  did  not  exceed  their 
legal  rights.— Robert:  Rules  of  Order,  1915,  pp.  299-300. 

May  Women  Vote  in  the  Business  Affairs  of  the 
Church?  Unless  they  are  forbidden  by  the  constitution  of 
the  church  to  vote,  women  are  permitted  to  vote  on  equal 


THE   CONDUCT   OF   CHURCH   BUSINESS  147 

terms  with  men  in  Congregational  churches.  Dr.  Dexter 
strongly  contended  against  the  wisdom  of  this  provision, 
but  the  exercise  of  equal  suffrage  in  Congregational 
churches  is  practically  universal. 

May  Minors  Vote  in  Congregational  Churches?  It  is 
customary  for  churches  to  fix  an  age  below  which  members 
of  the  church  are  not  permitted  to  vote.  This  age  ordi- 
narily is  i8,  though  sometimes  churches  permit  members 
of  i6  to  vote.  In  any  vote  involving  the  sale  of  property, 
change  of  creed  or  other  matters  that  might  involve  impor- 
tant legal  or  ecclesiastical  dispute,  if  there  is  any  division 
of  sentiment  in  the  church,  the  rule  concerning  minor  mem- 
bers should  be  strictly  enforced,  and  if  there  be  no  rule, 
members  under  the  age  of  21  should  not  vote  in  any  such 
matters  where  their  right  to  vot€  is  challenged.  In  some 
states  the  statutes  provide  that  members  voting  must  be 
of  legal  age. 

May  One  Person  Cast  the  Ballot  of  the  Church?  Fre- 
quently, where  the  constitution  provides  for  a  vote  by  bal- 
lot and  there  is  no  difference  of  opinion,  a  motion  is  made 
that  the  clerk  cast  a  single  ballot  in  favor  of  the  resolution, 
or  for  the  nominee.  This  motion  is  illegal,  and  should  not 
be  permitted,  excepting  where  there  is  absolutely  unani- 
mous consent.  If  one  member  objects  to  a  motion  of  this 
character,  the  motion  is  out  of  order  and  the  ballot  must 
be  had;  nor  should  such  a  member  be  looked  upon  as  a 
disturber.  Where  the  ballot  is  cast  in  this  way,  the  record 
should  read  the  same  as  if  ballots  had  been  distributed  and 
a  unanimous  ballot  cast  in  favor  of  the  candidate  elected. 
It  is  the  privilege  of  any  member  of  the  church  to  object 
to  such  a  motion.  While  the  custom  of  authorizing  one 
person  to  cast  the  ballot  sometimes  saves  the  time  of  a 
meeting,  it  defeats  the  intent  of  the  ballot  and  is  a  custom 
more  honored  in  the  breach  than  in  the  observance. 

Have  Absent  Members  the  Right  to  Vote?  The  right 
to  vote  belongs  only  to  active  members  of  the  church. 
Members  who  have  long  been  absent  and  whose  names  are 


148        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

on  the  absent  list  have  not  the  right  to  return  for  the  mere 
purpose  of  voting  at  a  meeting  in  which  they  have  personal 
interest.  Members  residing  in  the  community  and  failing 
to  attend  for  a  considerable  length  of  time  should  be  gov- 
erned by  the  rule  of  the  local  church  in  such  matters,  but  if 
there  be  no  rule  and  their  names  have  not  been  placed  upon 
an  absent  list  they  have  a  right  to  vote. 


IX.     DUTIES  AND  RIGHTS  OF  CHURCH  MEMBERS 

What  Is  a  Church  Member?  A  Congregational  church 
member  is  a  person  who,  having  confessed  his  faith  in 
Christ,  has  been  received,  on  his  own  application  and  by 
vote  of  the  church,  into  the  local  body  of  Christians  with 
w^hom  he  chooses  and  by  whom  he  is  chosen  to  be  asso- 
ciated. In  such  a  company  of  brethren  in  fellowship  in  the 
spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  all  adult  members  have  equal  priv- 
ileges. 

Composed  of  Visible  Members.  And  as  to  the  gospel  Church, 
it  is  plain  that  it  was  composed  of  none  but  visible  saints.  No 
other  but  baptized  persons  were  admitted  to  communion;  and  no 
adult  persons  but  such  as  professed  repentance  and  faith  were  ad- 
mitted to  baptism,  which  shows  that  they  were  visible  saints.  Of 
such  materials  was  the  church  of  Corinth  composed;  for  the 
apostle  speaks  to  them  as  saints  by  profession. — Emmons:  Platform 
Eccl.  Govt,  i. 

Regenerate  Membership.  The  visible  Church  of  Christ  should 
be  composed  only  of  such  persons  as  give  credible  evidence  of 
having  in  a  godly  way  repented  of  their  sins,  believed  unto  salva- 
tion in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  their  divine  Saviour,  and  begun 
a  life  of  allegiance  to  him  as  their  King.  The  conviction  that  upon 
this  principle  alone  can  the  constitution  of  the  Church  be  duly  and 
safely  placed  was  distinctive,  in  their  time,  with  the  founders  of 
our  church  order. — Ladd:  Polity,  p.  187. 

Admission  into  the  church-kingdom  requires  a  new  birth,  re- 
pentance, faith,  righteousness.  These  are  made  conditions  of  ad- 
mission into  the  visible  churches.  On  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when 
the  Christian  Church  was  recognized  and  inaugurated,  repentance 
was  required,  and  acceptance  of  the  Gospel. — Ross:  Church  King- 
dom, p.  105. 

A  Congregational  church  should  consist  of  such  persons  and 
such  only  as  give  evidence  that  they  have  given  themselves  to 
trust  and  follow  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  have  been  renewed  by 
the  Holy  Spirit,  who  have  confessed  him  as  their  Saviour  and 
Lord  and  have  covenanted  to  worship  God  and  work  together  for 
the  advancement  of  his  kingdom  in  a  church  organized  upon  Con- 
gregational principles. — Boynton:   Congregational  Way,  p.  74. 

Five  Points.  (1)  Those  constituting  a  Christian  church  must 
be  believers,  true  followers  of  Jesus  Christ;  (2)  they  must  live  near 
enough  together  to  meet  statedly  for  worship,  business,  and  labor; 
(3)  there  must  be  some  recognition  of  one  another  as  Christians, 
with  the  proper  tests  in  life,  belief,  and  discipline;  (4)  there  must 
be  some  agreement  to  observe  the  ordinances  of  Christ  together. 
Thi?  agreement  is  a  covenant,  whether  written  or  understood,  and 


150        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

constitutes  the  body  a  church;  and  (5)  they  must  become  one 
society;  that  is,  one  body,  under  the  same  officers,  with  one  record, 
and  doing  as  an  organized  unit  whatever  it  does,  in  worship,  busi- 
ness, and  evangelization.  Any  such  organization  is  a  church  of 
Jesus  Christ,  named  after  the  place  where  it  exists. — Ross:  Church- 
Kingdom,  pp.  170-171. 

What  Is  the  Basis  of  Church  Membership?  The  basis 
of  church  membership  in  a  Congregational  church  should 
be  credible  evidence  of  Christian  character,  confession  of 
Jesus  as  Savior  and  Lord,  and  the  acceptance  of  a  covenant 
to  walk  with  the  members  of  the  church  in  Christian  love 
according  to  its  rules  until  regularly  dismissed  therefrom. 

The  Individual  Member.  The  social  culture  and  social  well- 
being  of  each  local  church  are  primarily  dependent  upon  the  char- 
acter of  the  individual  members  of  which  that  church  is  composed. 
The  followers  of  Christ  do,  indeed,  fight  in  companies  and  in  line 
of  battle;  but  their  success  in  warfare  depends,  nevertheless,  upon 
the  characteristics  of  the  individual  soldier. — Ladd:  Principles  of 
Church  Polity,  p.  99. 

"The  Saint's  Apology."  The  matter  of  this  is  a  company  of 
saints  of  whom  .  .  .  the  church  that  admits  them  ought  to 
judge  of  every  one  of  them,  that  Christ  has  begun  a  good  work  in 
them,  and  will  finish  it. — Apology,  xviii. 

The  Low  Country  Exiles.  Christ  hath  given  power  to  receive 
in  or  cut  off  any  member  to  the  whole  body  together,  in  any  Chris- 
tion  congregation. — Confession  xxiv,  in  Hansford,  i,  95. 

A  church  has  no  more  right  to  debar  those  who  refuse  to 
relate  their  Christian  experience,  than  to  require  oaths  and  sub- 
scriptions and  conformity  to  a  thousand  more  ceremonies. — The 
Gospel  Order  Revived. 

Christian  Fellowship.  Now  how  marvelous  a  thing  is  it,  and 
lamentable  withal,  that  amongst  Christians,  any  should  be  found 
so  far  at  odds  with  Christian  holiness  as  to  think  that  others  than 
apparently  holy,  at  the  least,  deserved  admittance  into  the  fellow- 
ship of  Christ's  Church,  and  therewith  of  Christ!  Do,  or  can,  the 
gracious  promises  of  God  made  to  the  Church,  the  heavenly  bless- 
ings due  to  the  Church,  the  seals  of  divine  grace  given  to  the 
Church,  appertain  to  others  than  such? 

Both  the  Scriptures  and  common  reason  teach  that  whomso- 
ever the  Lord  doth  call,  and  use  to  and  in  any  special  work  or 
employment,  he  doth  in  a  special  manner  separate  and  sanctify 
them  thereunto.  And  so  the  Church,  being  to  be  employed  in  the 
special  service  of  God,  to  the  glory  of  his  special  love,  and  mercy 
in  their  happiness,  and  to  show  forth  his  virtues,  must  be  of  such 
persons,  as,  by  and  in  whom,  he  will,  and  may  thus  be  worshiped 
and  glorified. — John  Robinson:  Works,  iii,  pp.  66,  127. 

May  a  Church  Determine  Its  Own  Terms  of  Member- 


DUTIES  AND  RIGHTS  OF  CHURCH  MEMBERS      151 

ship?  Every  voluntary  organization  has  the  indisputable 
right  to  determine  the  terms  and  conditions  of  its  own 
membership  in  its  own  body.  In  so  far  as  a  local  church  is 
such  a  voluntary  organization,  it  has  this  right.  But  a  local 
church  is  part  of  the  whole  Church  of  Christ,  and  has  no 
right  to  set  itself  above  the  Church,  nor  to  call  that  common 
which  God  hath  cleansed.  There  can  be  no  greater  heresy 
than  that  which  makes  a  local  church  a  mere  club  with  a 
right  to  receive  or  reject  members  on  arbitrary  conditions 
of  its  own  manufacture.  A  person  who  is  a  true  member 
of  the  invisible  Church  of  Christ  ought  to  find  a  home  in 
the  visible  Church. 

The  theory  that  a  church  is  a  voluntary  organization 
with  right  to  make  its  own  conditions  of  membership,  was 
earnestly  advocated  by  Dr.  Nathaniel  Emmons,  who  said : 

The  members  of  a  local  church  are  competent  judges  to  deter- 
mine who  are  worthy  or  unworthy  to  be  admitted.  It  would  be 
very  irrational  to  suppose  that  any  particular  church  is  obliged  to 
admit  every  one  that  offers  to  join  their  holy  communion.  They 
have  an  undoubted  right  to  judge  of  the  qualifications  of  propo- 
nents, and  receive  or  reject  them,  according  to  an  impartial  judg- 
ment of  Christian  charity.  This  right  they  never  ought  to  give 
up. — Platform  Eccl.  Govt.,  iii,  1. 

Dr.  Leonard  W.  Bacon  vehemently  protested  against 
this  theory,  and  counted  the  churches  formed  on  this  model 
as  virtual  seceders  from  historic  Congregationalism: 

Church  vs.  Club.  A  church,  according  to  this  "platform,"  is  a 
club  the  members  of  which  are  bound  to  such  mutual  duties  as 
they  may  have  agreed  upon.  It  is  "essential"  to  the  club,  as  "to 
every  voluntary  society,  to  admit  whom  they  please  into  their 
number,"  and  to  rule  out  or  blackball  whom  they  please.  This  is 
the  working  basis  on  which  the  organization  of  the  seceding 
churches  of  Eastern  Massachusetts  proceeded;  and  the  principle 
which  it  illustrated,  though  not  adopted  in  articulate  form,  pro- 
ceeding, nevertheless,  from  so  influential  a  center  as  Boston,  has 
had  a  wide  and  pernicious  vogue  in  American  church  history. 
Secondly,  there  was  the  come-outerism  commended  by  Dr.  Em- 
mons as  a  "Scriptural  Platform  of  Ecclesiastical  Government,"  the 
"scripture"  of  which  was  most  distinctly  written  in  the  Contrat 
Social  of  Jean  Jacques  Rousseau.  It  involved  an  unlimited  "right 
of  secession,"  and  the  right  of  the  seceders  to  organize  on  an  ex- 
clusive basis,  keeping  out  such  of  their  fellow-Christians  as  were 
uncongenial  to  them.  This  was  the  ideal  under  which  the  seceding 
Orthodox  churches  of  Eastern  Massachusetts  had  been  organized 


152        THE   LAW   OF  CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

into  a  wonderfully  eflfective  and  aggressive  dissenting  sect.  From 
this  influential  center  it  widely  affected  the  Congregationalism  of 
the  whole  country.  Not  only  did  the  use  of  imposed  and  pre- 
scribed doctrinal  tests  (so  abhorrent  to  the  Fathers)  come  into 
general  use;  but  the  new  churches  were  distinctly  labeled  "Trini- 
tarian" or  "Calvinistic";  and  it  came  to  be  considered  quite  laud- 
able, by  stipulations  in  the  covenant,  to  erect  churches  on  an  anti- 
slavery,  or  a  total-abstinence,  or  a  prohibitionist  basis.  The  former 
method  gave  rise  to  Congregational  churches,  sometimes  not  osten- 
sibly bearing  that  denomination,  and  uniting  in  one  fellowship  such 
various  elements  as  go  to  make  up  the  Christian  population  of  a 
new  settlement.  The  latter  constituted  churches  of  Congregation- 
alists,  in  which  each  member  was  presumed  to  prefer  a  certain 
polity  and  type  of  dogma  and  usage  of  worship. — Bacon:  Congre- 
gationalists,  pp.  188,  189,  223,  224. 

Dr.  Ladd  replied  to  Upham,  whose  "Ratio  Discipline" 
(P-  57)  upheld  the  Emmons  theory,  as  follows: 

Terms  of  Membership.  No  Christian  church  has  any  authority 
to  constitute  the  terms  of  its  own  membership  as  a  mere  matter 
of  natural  or  social  right.  Jesus  Christ  has  constituted  the  terms 
of  membership  in  churches  called  by  his  name;  He  has  done  this 
in  the  primal  institution  of  his  holy  catholic  Church.  He  has 
confirmed  the  law  of  this  constitution  by  the  practice  of  the  apos- 
tolic churches.  I  must  confess  that  it  seems  to  me  little  better 
than  a  mild  form  of  constructive  treason  to  attempt  changes  in 
this  constitution  which  the  Lord  has  given  to  his  Church.  The 
methods  by  which  the  particular  visible  church  arrives  at  judgment 
upon  the  credible  proofs  of  true  discipleship  may  indeed  be  adapted 
to  the  exigencies  of  the  cases  involved:  the  judgment  of  the  church 
as  to  what  constitute  themselves  credible  proofs  may  indeed 
greatly  change.  But  to  maintain  that  a  particular  visible  church 
may  make  requisitions  upon  men  who  would  come  into  its  com- 
munion, which  are  not  involved  in  the  New  Testament  requisitions, 
is  a  heresy  under  the  formal  principle  of  the  true  church  polity. — 
Polity,  p.  201. 

Many  other  Congregational  authorities  may  be  quoted 
to  the  same  effect.  The  church  is  not  a  club,  organized 
for  the  selfish  ends  of  its  membership,  and  entitled  to  reject 
whom  it  will.  It  is  the  Body  of  Christ,  and  to  it  belongs 
every  true  Christian  who  desires  its  fellowship. 

John  Davenport's  Theory.  Though  some  are  at  present  weak 
in  faith,  yet,  if  we  may  conceive  that  the  Lord  hath  received  them, 
the  church  must  receive  them. — Power  of  Congregational  Churches, 
p.  42. 

Stillingflieet's  View.  What  charter  hath  Christ  given  the  church 
to  bind  men  up  to,  more  than  himself  hath  done?  or  to  exclude 
those  from  her  society  who  may  be  admitted  into  heaven? — Terms 
of  Communion,  Preface. 


DUTIES   AND   RIGHTS   OF  CHURCH   MEMBERS     153 

Bishop  Taylor's  Affirmation.  Particular  churches  are  bound  to 
allow  communion  to  all  those  that  profess  the  same  faith  upon 
which  the  apostles  did  give  communion. — Letter  to  John  Goodwin. 

Robert  Hall's  Opinion.  No  man  or  set  of  men  are  entitled  to 
prescribe  as  an  indispensable  condition  of  communion  what  the 
New  Testament  has  not  enjoined  as  a  condition  of  salvation.  It 
is  presumptuous  to  aspire  to  greater  purity  and  strictness  in  select- 
ing the  materials  of  a  church  than  are  observed  by  its  divine 
Founder.— Works,  Vol.  IV,  p.  653. 

How  Is  Membership  in  the  Church  Secured?  A  person 
applying  for  membership  in  a  local  church  should  first 
appear  before  the  church  itself,  or  before  its  board  of 
deacons,  or  advisory  committee,  or  other  body  designated 
by  the  church,  and  after  suitable  examination  if  found  to 
be  worthy  of  membership  should  be  approved  by  the  exam- 
ining body,  and,  if  that  body  be  other  than  the  church, 
recommended  by  that  body  to  the  church.  In  some  of  the 
older  churches  examination  for  membership  was  before  the 
whole  church.  This  commonly  is  not  wise  and  is  distinctly 
exceptional  in  Congregational  usage.  The  member,  having 
been  approved  by  the  examining  committee,  should  be 
propounded  from  the  pulpit  for  admission  to  the  church, 
and  accepted  into  membership  by  vote  of  the  church. 
Usually  the  public  reception  is  at  a  later  meeting. 

In  the  absence  of  some  specific  rule,  the  following  will 
serve  as  an  orderly  method: 

(i)  The  person  to  be  received  into  membership  con- 
fers with  the  pastor,  who  advises  the  applicant  and  encour- 
ages him  to  meet  the  church  committee  at  a  special  time. 
The  pastor  should  be  faithful  in  inquiring  whether  the 
applicant  is  truly  seeking  to  serve  the  Lord  and  gives  evi- 
dence of  a  regenerated  life.  In  all  this  he  will  be  careful 
not  to  break  the  bruised  reed  or  to  set  arbitrary  or  unrea- 
sonable tests.  He  will  learn  carefully  to  discriminate  in 
determining  what  is  reasonable  to  expect  of  childhood  and 
of  those  of  mature  years  in  the  acceptance  of  Christ  and 
in  membership  in  the  church.  If  a  person  seems  to  him 
unqualified  for  present  church  membership,  he  will  not 
rudely  repel  him  or  discourage  him,  but  will  seek  most 


154        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

earnestly  to  encourage  him  and  by  added  instruction  and 
prayer  will  endeavor  to  bring  him  later  into  fuller  knowl- 
edge and  acceptance  of  the  Christian  life,  and  so  into  the 
fellowship  of  the  church. 

(2)  The  applicant  appears  before  the  examining  com- 
mittee.    Sometimes  applications  are  made  in  writing. 

It  has  often  served  to  simplify  the  process  of  applying 
for  church  membership  and  to  emphasize  the  essential 
things  of  the  Christian  life  if  the  applicant  signs  in  advance 
an  application  like  the  following,  which  may  be  printed 
upon  a  card: 

"Believing  in  the  love  of  God  our  Father,  and  in  the  revelation 
of  that  love  in  Jesus  Christ,  we  confess  Him  as  our  Lord;  and, 
living  together  in  the  fellowship  and  service  of  the  Spirit  of  God, 
will  strive  to  know  our  duty  as  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  and  to 
walk  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  made  known  or  to  be  made  known 
to  us;  and,  with  loyalty  to  God,  faith  in  Christ,  and  love  for  all 
mankind,  will  labor  for  righteousness  which  is  profitable  for  the 
life  that  now  is  and  has  promise  for  the  life  everlasting." 

I  heartily  accept  the  confession  and  covenant  above,  and  wish 
to  unite  with  the  church  at  the  next  communion. 

Name  - 

Address    

A  card  containing  the  brief  confession  of  faith  of  the 
National  Council  has  been  employed  similarly,  and  with 
good  results. 

The  committee  will  not  fail  to  use  great  tact  and  Christ- 
ian sympathy  as  well  as  conscientious  thoroughness  in  its 
examinations.  It  will  not  consider  it  any  part  of  its  duty 
needlessly  to  emphasize  the  religious  duties  or  faults  of 
the  applicant  further  than  to  satisfy  itself  of  the  real  ear- 
nestness and  sincere  Christian  purpose  of  the  person  apply- 
ing. 

(3)  The  names  of  the  persons  who  have  been  approved 
for  church  membership  should  be  read  from  the  pulpit  by 
the  pastor,  at  least  one  Sunday  before  that  on  which  they 
are  to  be  received. 

(4)  The  names  that  have  been  propounded  are  taken 
up  usually  at  the  preparatory  service,  though  there  is  no 


DUTIES   AND   RIGHTS   OF   CHURCH   MEMBERS     ISS 

valid  reason  why  this  should  be  the  only  time,  and  voted 
upon  by  the  whole  membership  of  the  church  present.  It 
is  in  order  for  any  member  of  the  church  to  ask  that  the 
names  be  voted  upon  singly,  and  any  five  members  may 
require  a  ballot,  but  unless  there  is  a  demand  for  a  vote 
upon  the  names  singly  the  full  list  may  be  voted  upon  viva 
voce. 

(5)  On  the  following  Sunday  and  usually  just  before 
the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  the  persons  who 
have  been  accepted  for  membership  in  the  church  come 
forward  as  their  names  are  called,  and  assent  to  the  cov- 
enant of  the  church,  and  receive  the  right  hand  of  fellow- 
ship from  the  pastor.  In  some  cases  they  are  required  to 
sign  the  covenant  of  the  church,  but  this  is  not  commonly 
enjoined. 

What  Is  the  Propounding  o£  Members?  Persons  who 
have  been  examined  by  the  proper  committee  are  publicly 
propounded  from  the  pulpit  a  week  or  more  before  the  time 
at  which  the  vote  is  to  be  taken.  This  insures  to  the 
church  proper  protection,  by  enabling  any  member  to  object 
if  the  candidate  is  not  suitable  for  membership. 

Propounding  Candidates.  The  candidate's  name  is  announced 
to  the  congregation,  two  weeks,  or  more,  before  the  date  of  in- 
tended admission,  so  that  if  any  person  has  complaint  to  make, 
affecting  his  Christian  character,  there  may  be  seasonable  oppor- 
tunity to  lay  it  before  the  church.  No  such  objection  being  made, 
the  final  question  of  his  admission  comes  before  the  church,  usually 
at  the  close  of  the  next  preparatory  lecture,  when  a  majority  vote 
will  admit  him— which  vote  is,  however,  usually  unanimous,  be- 
cause if  any  member  has  any  good  ground  of  objection,  it  has  been 
mentioned,  and  had  its  due  weight  beforehand.— D^^^fr.-  Congrega- 
tionalism, p.  183. 

May  a  Church  Examine  a  Member  Who  Unites  by 
Letter?  A  church  may  examine  a  member  who  proposes 
to  unite  by  letter,  but  unless  there  is  some  reason  for  sus- 
picion, such  examination  is  usually  brief,  and  often  is 
chiefly  valuable  as  affording  a  proposed  member  and  the 
church  officers  an  opportunity  of  acquaintance  with  a  view 
to  Christian  fellowship. 

Members   Received   by   Letter.    Richard   Mather  affirms    that 


156         THE    LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

members  uniting  by  letter  should  be  examined;  "for  the  former 
church  may  have  erred  in  receiving  them." — Ch.  Gov.  and  Church 
Covenant,  p.  30.  Hooker  (Survey,  part  iii,  7)  says  they  may  be 
received  without  it,  if  their  praise  is  in  all  the  churches;  or  the 
church  may  examine,  and,  if  they  are  scandalous,  should  reject 
them.  Winthrop  shows  that  Cotton  was  thus  examined  when  he 
was  received  to  the  church  in  Boston. — Journal,  i,  p.  110.  Mitchell 
declares  the  right  to  examine,  but  says  that  it  is  not  generally 
practised. — Christ.  Doc,  ii,  pp.  202,  203.  Milton  says  the  covenant 
should  be  repeated,  unless  the  church  have  ample  testimonials  from 
some  other  orthodox  church. — Ctmimings:  Cong.  Diet.,  Art.,  Mem- 
bers. 

What  Constitutes  Examination  for  Membership?  There 
is  no  inflexible  rule  as  to  what  shall  constitute  examination 
for  church  membership.  The  church  is  entitled  to  satisfy 
itself,  either  by  direct  examination  or  by  the  recommenda- 
tion of  its  appointed  officers,  of  the  fitness  of  a  candidate 
for  church  membership.  It  will  often  occur  that  a  com- 
mittee will  require  little  assurance  beyond  the  testimony 
of  the  pastor.  The  only  rules  are  those  of  good  sense  and 
Christian  courtesy. 

Private  Examination.  In  case  any  through  excessive  fear,  or 
other  infirmity,  be  unable  to  make  their  personal  relation  of  their 
spiritual  estate  in  public,  it  is  sufficient  that  the  elders,  having 
received  private  satisfaction,  make  relation  thereof  in  public  before 
the  church,  they  testifying  their  assents  thereunto;  this  being  the 
way  that  tendeth  most  to  edification.  But  where  persons  are  of 
greater  abilities,  there  it  is  most  expedient  that  they  make  their 
relations  and  confessions  personally  with  their  own  mouth,  as 
David  professeth  of  himself.— Cambridge  Platform,  xii,  4. 

May  a  Church  Receive  a  Member  Without  a  Letter? 

It  will  sometimes  occur  that  a  person  will  propose  to  unite 
with  a  Congregational  church  from  a  denomination  which 
refuses  to  grant  letters  except  to  churches  of  its  own  com- 
munion or  to  a  restricted  fellowship.  In  such  a  case,  there 
should  first  be  a  courteous  request  for  a  letter.  If  this  is 
refused,  the  church  of  which  he  is  a  member  should  be 
requested  to  terminate  his  membership  with  a  view  to  his 
uniting  with  another  church.  If  after  this  there  is  still 
refusal,  he  will  be  justified  in  uniting  without  a  letter,  and 
the  church  will  be  justified  in  receiving  him.  Notice  should 
be  sent  to  the  former  church,  that  it  may  adjust  its  relations 


DUTIES  AND  RIGHTS   OF   CHURCH   MEMBERS    157 

to  him  in  such  manner  as  its  sense  of  propriety  shall  deter- 
mine. 

Transfer  of  Church  Membership.  Increase  Mather  affirms  that 
dismission  and  recommendation  are  scriptural  and  reasonable,  and 
that  "a  church  ought  not  to  receive  a  member  from  another  church, 
without  endeavors  of  mutual  satisfaction  of  the  churches  con- 
cerned."— Vindication,  pp.  109,  113.  Chauncy  says:  If,  upon  the 
use  of  all  due  means,  the  church  w^ill  grant  no  dismission,  the 
member  refused  may  join  another  church. — Divine  Inst.  Cong.  Ch., 
p.  121.  Cotton  Mather  lays  down  a  rule  for  a  case  which  he  says 
"perhaps  never  happened,"  in  which  a  church  refuse  to  receive  a 
member  where  a  council  advise  to  it,  viz.,  that  he  be  received  to 
some  other  church  in  the  neighborhood. — Ratio  Disciplinse,  p.  161. 
Cleveland,  in  his  "Narrative  of  the  Conduct  of  the  Fourth  Church 
of  Ipswich,"  quotes  from  "Watts's  Foundation  of  a  Christian 
Church":  "If  particular  persons  cannot  agree  with  the  major  part, 
they  may  withdraw,  if  the  church  refuse  to  dismiss  them;  for  Chris- 
tian churches  must  have  all  voluntary  members,  and  are  not  to  be 
turned  into  prisons." — Cummings:   Cong.   Diet. 

What  Constitutes  Christian  Faith?  Christian  faith  con- 
sists in  an  acceptance  of  Jesus  Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord. 
It  is  not  to  be  confused  with  an  opinion  about  Him,  Faith 
is  an  attitude  of  the  heart  and  will;  not  a  judgment  of  the 
intellect. 

From  Cambridge  Platform.  The  weakest  measure  of  faith  is 
to  be  accepted  in  those  that  desire  to  be  admitted  into  the  church, 
because  weak  Christians,  if  sincere,  have  the  substance  of  that 
faith,  repentance  and  holiness  which  is  required  in  church  mem- 
bers; and  such  have  most  need  of  the  ordinances  for  their  confir- 
mation and  growth  in  grace.  The  Lord  Jesus  would  not  quench 
the  smoking  flax,  nor  break  the  bruised  reed,  but  gather  the  tender 
lambs  in  his  arms  and  carry  them  gently  in  his  bosom.  Such 
charity  and  tenderness  is  to  be  used,  as  the  weakest  Christian,  if 
sincere,  may  not  be  excluded  nor  discouraged.  Severity  of  exam- 
ination is  to  be  avoided. — xii,  3. 

Do  Members  from  Other  Churches  Assent  to  the  Cov- 
enant? All  members,  however  received,  assent  to  the  cov- 
enant of  the  church.  The  form  of  admission  of  members 
commonly  makes  a  distinction  between  those  confessing 
Christ  for  the  first  time  and  those  who  have  previously 
confessed  Him  and  now  are  renewing  their  covenant,  but 
in  every  case  the  covenant  should  be  assented  to  by  all 
new  members. 

May  Members  Be  Received  in  Their  Absence?     Mem- 


158        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

bers  who  are  unable  to  be  present  in  person  may  be  received 
by  special  vote  of  the  church.  In  the  case  of  a  mere  tem- 
porary illness,  the  rule  should  not  be  set  aside,  but  the 
member  should  be  publicly  received  at  the  next  communion 
season  which  he  is  able  to  attend.  In  the  case  of  a  person 
unable  to  be  present  at  the  communion  service,  the  church 
may  by  vote  receive  the  member  at  any  other  public  service, 
or  at  the  church  prayer  meeting.  In  case  of  an  invalid 
unable  to  attend  any  of  the  services  of  the  church,  or  in 
any  emergency  which  in  the  mind  of  the  church  justifies 
such  action,  the  pastor  and  deacons  may  be  authorized  by 
the  church  to  receive  the  member  into  fellowship  in  the 
name  of  the  church.  Such  a  provision  should  be  made  in 
the  rules  of  every  church.  In  almost  every  community  will 
be  found  some  invalid  who  ought  to  become  a  member  of 
the  church,  the  circumstances  of  whose  case  must  indicate 
the  method  appropriate  for  his  or  her  reception.  This  pro- 
vision, however,  should  not  be  permitted  to  apply  to  people 
who  through  foolish  self-consciousness  or  reluctance  to 
make  public  confession  wish  to  enter  into  the  sheep-fold  by 
some  other  way  than  the  door. 

May  a  Church  Refuse  to  Accept  a  Letter?  If  a  church 
is  offered  a  letter  by  a  person  whom  it  has  reason  to  believe 
unworthy,  it  may  refuse  to  receive  the  candidate. 

Richard  Mather  declared  that  those  emigrants  who  were  known 
to  be  godly  are  all  admitted  to  some  church  on  their  own  desire, 
unless  they  have  given  offense  by  their  walk:  in  this  case,  they 
must  give  evidence  of  repentance. — Ch.  Gov.  and  Ch.  Gov.,  viii. 
Hooker  held  that  if  two  or  three  witnesses  show  a  recommended 
member  to  be  scandalous,  he  should  be  rejected. — Survey,  part  i, 
241. 

What  Are  the  Duties  of  a  Member  of  the  Church?    It  is 

the  duty  of  every  member  of  the  church  first  of  all  to  be 
faithful  to  the  personal  spiritual  duties  which  are  essential 
to  the  Christian  life  and  to  honor  his  profession  by  faithful 
living.  It  is  his  duty  to  make  his  own  personal  sanctifica- 
tion  and  his  Christian  usefulness  the  test  by  which  to 
decide  the  character  of  his  worldly  business  and  his  amuse- 


DUTIES  AND   RIGHTS   OF   CHURCH   MEMBERS     159 

merits,  abstaining  from  every  choice  and  act  which  can  im- 
pair his  testimony  as  a  Christian,  and  earnestly  seeking 
by  prayer,  by  daily  word  and  deed,  and  by  all  that  makes 
up  the  sum  of  his  influence  among  men,  to  lead  a  life 
worthy  of  a  follower  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  It  is  his 
further  duty  to  attend  habitually  the  services  of  the  church 
of  which  he  is  a  member,  to  give  regularly  for  its  support 
and  its  charities  according  to  his  ability,  to  share  in  such 
forms  of  its  organized  work  as  he  is  able  to  assist,  and  to 
labor  for  its  purity,  its  peace,  and  its  prosperity.  It  is  his 
duty  to  refrain  from  needless  criticism  of  the  church,  its 
services,  its  ministry,  and  his  fellow-members ;  to  be  guided 
in  his  speech  and  thought  by  the  dictates  of  Christian  love ; 
to  seek  honestly  and  lovingly  to  promote  the  spirit  of 
Christianity  in  his  own  heart  and  the  hearts  of  all  members 
of  the  church.  It  is  his  duty  to  remain  in  the  church  until 
he  is  regularly  dismissed  therefrom.  If  the  time  comes  for 
him  to  unite  with  another  church,  he  should  on  no  account 
consider  himself  at  liberty  to  take  such  a  step  until  he  has 
been  dismissed  in  orderly  fashion  from  the  church  of  which 
he  is  a  member. 

What  Are  the  Rights  of  Church  Members?  Each  mem- 
ber of  a  Congregational  church  has  an  equal  right  with  all 
others  to  share  in  its  public  worship,  to  participate  in  its 
meetings  for  conference  and  prayer,  to  discuss  proposed 
measures  and  changes  in  accordance  with  the  rules  of  the 
church,  to  vote  in  the  transaction  of  its  business,  and  to 
participate  in  the  election  of  its  officers.  All  these  rights 
he  holds  subject  to  the  equal  right  of  all  his  fellow  mem- 
bers. Each  adult  member  is  eligible  to  any  office  in  the 
church,  the  church  having  full  authority  to  constitute  one 
of  its  own  members  a  trustee,  a  deacon  or  even  a  minister. 
The  minister  of  the  church,  whether  originally  elected  from 
its  membership  or  called  from  another  church  to  become 
its  minister,  should  be  a  member  of  the  church,  received 
as  other  members  are  received,  and  his  rights  as  such  a 


160        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

member  are  rights  in  all  essentials  identical  with  those  of 
his  fellow  members. 

Congregational  churches  hold  to  the  right  of  private 
judgment.  Each  member  in  the  church  is  sole  custodian 
of  his  own  conscience.  He  has  the  right  to  interpret  the 
Scriptures,  and  to  determine  his  own  conduct  in  the  light 
of  that  interpretation  so  long  as  his  conduct  does  not  in- 
fringe upon  the  rights  of  others  or  disturb  the  peace  or 
impugn  the  good  name  of  the  church.  He  has  a  right  to 
interpret  the  creed  of  the  church  broadly,  as  it  is  a  purely- 
human  document,  the  product  of  human  judgment.  He 
has  no  right  to  treat  it  with  contempt  or  assume  that  his 
judgment  of  it  is  superior  to  that  of  the  men  who  made  it 
and  of  those  who  accept  it,  but  he  has  a  right  to  interpret 
it  liberally.  It  is  not  essential  to  Christian  fellowship  that 
all  members  of  the  church  should  think  alike,  or  that  the 
creed  should  be  held  in  such  complete  uniformity  of  inter- 
pretation as  to  fetter  the  conscience  of  its  members.  If  a 
member  of  the  church  finds  himself  no  longer  able  to  assent 
to  the  creed  of  the  church  in  the  hard  and  fast  meaning  of 
its  words,  he  is  not  on  that  account  to  be  deprived  of  his 
rights  as  a  member,  so  long  as  he  holds  his  differences  of 
opinion  in  the  spirit  of  Christian  charity;  nor  need  such  a 
member  hastily  assume  that  he  has  no  further  right  to  be 
a  member  of  the  church,  or  that  it  is  his  inherent  duty  to 
leave  it.  He  has  the  right  to  endeavor  to  induce  the  church 
to  change  its  creed.  If  he  fails  in  his  endeavor  he  still  has 
a  right  to  consider  whether  his  own  change  of  faith  is  of 
such  a  character  that  he  can  no  longer  work  and  worship 
with  the  members  in  the  spirit  of  Christian  brotherhood. 
In  considering  the  question  whether  it  is  his  duty  to  with- 
draw from  the  church  he  should  consult  the  covenant  rather 
than  the  creed,  and  determine  whether  he  is  in  essential 
harmony  with  its  intent  and  spirit.  If  he  elects  to  remain 
in  the  membership  of  the  church,  his  brethren  should  not 
call  that  unclean  or  common  which  God  hath  cleansed.  He 
on  his  part  should  remember  that  he  has  promised  to  seek 


DUTIES  AND  RIGHTS   OF  CHURCH  MEMBERS    161 

the  edification,  purity,  and  peace  of  the  church,  and  should 
hold  his  differences  of  opinion  in  a  spirit  of  Christian  love. 
What  Is  Good  and  Regular  Standing?  A  member  is  in 
good  and  regular  standing  in  a  church  so  long  as  no  charges 
are  preferred  against  hi«i.  The  term  does  not  imply  that 
he  is  perfect.  Every  member  is  presumed  to  be  in  good 
and  regular  standing  until  proved  guilty  of  a  misdemeanor. 
He  cannot  demand  dismission  w^ith  a  certificate  of  his  good 
and  regular  standing  if  any  charge  is  pending  against  him ; 
but  even  while  awaiting  his  trial  he  is  presumed  to  be 
worthy  of  confidence,  and  may  not  be  adjudged  guilty  until 
so  proved. 

Good  Standing  of  Church  Members.  A  member  is  in  good 
standing  until  the  church  by  vote,  after  due  notice  and  hearing, 
has  deprived  him  of  the  privileges  of  membership,  and  upon  his 
application  is  entitled  to  a  letter  of  dismission  and  recommenda- 
tion in  the  regular  form. — Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p.  75. 

How  Are  Members  Dismissed?  Members  are  dismissed 
to  some  other  church  by  letter,  granted  by  order  of  the 
church,  on  the  request  of  the  member. 

Dismission  of  Church  Members.  It  is  therefore  the  duty  of 
church  members,  in  such  times  and  places  M^here  counsel  may  be 
had,  to  consult  with  the  church  M^hereof  they  are  members  about 
their  removal,  that  accordingly  they  having  their  approbation,  may 
be  encouraged,  or  otherw^ise  desist.  They  who  are  joined  with 
consent,  should  not  depart  without  consent,  except  forced  there- 
unto.— Cambridge  Platform,  xiii,  2. 

When  members  remove  their  residence  to  the  nearer  neighbor- 
hood of  a  sister  church,  or  when,  for  any  good  reason,  it  seems 
to  them  expedient  to  transfer  their  regular  attendance  to  the  min- 
istrations and  worship  of  a  sister  church,  they  ought  to  ask,  and 
the  church  ought  to  grant  them,  letters  of  dismission  and  recom- 
mendation. It  is  well  that  this  request  should  be  in  writing. — 
Dexter:   Congregationalism,  p.   185. 

Forms  of  letters  for  use  of  churches  in  dismissing  members 
may  be  found  in  the  author's  manual. 

To   Whom   May    Church    Letters    Be    Granted?    Any 

member  of  a  church,  in  good  and  regular  standing,  desiring 
by  reason  of  removal  or  any  other  good  reason  to  unite 
with  another  church,  may  be  dismissed  by  letter  addressed 
to  the  church  which  he  desires  to  join,  and  on  the  accept- 
ance of  said  letter  by  the  church  addressed,  his  membership 


162         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

ceases.  It  is  customary  to  limit  church  letters  to  a  period 
of  six  months,  and  in  no  case  are  they  valid  for  more  than 
a  year.  A  church  being  offered  a  letter  after  the  expiration 
of  the  time  limit  may  at  its  discretion  waive  this  condition. 

May  a  Church  Member  Terminate  His  Membership  at 
Pleasure?  Membership  in  a  church  is  voluntary,  and  a 
church  cannot  permanently  hold  in  its  fellowship  one  who 
ceases  to  desire  membership  in  it,  but  membership  in  a 
church  is  accepted  in  accordance  with  a  definite  covenant 
which  must  scrupulously  be  regarded  in  the  termination 
of  membership.  The  covenant  is  mutual;  and  a  member 
does  not  cease  to  be  a  member  by  the  mere  serving  of 
notice  of  his  intention  to  withdraw,  nor  by  uniting  with 
another  church  without  asking  for  a  letter.  He  remains  a 
member  until  regularly  dismissed  according  to  the  rules 
and  covenant  of  the  church. 

What  Shall  a  Church  Do  When  a  Member  Unites  v^rith 
Another  Church  Without  Taking  His  Letter?  In  such  a 
case  the  church  should  remove  the  name  from  its  roll  with 
a  note  to  the  effect  that  he  had  already  joined  another 
church.  Such  acts  are  often  committed  thoughtlessly,  but 
in  some  cases  are  the  result  of  a  discourtesy  which  cannot 
be  called  Christian  in  its  spirit. 

Termination     of     Membership     Without     Permission.      Isaac 

Chauncey  said:  A  member  may  not  depart  to  non-communion,  or 
to  the  communion  of  another  church,  without  the  leave  of  the 
church  of  which  he  is  a  member.  Such  a  deserter  is  a  felo  de  se, 
and  doth  disfranchise  and  excommunicate  himself. — Divine  Inst. 
Cong.  Chs.,  116,  117.  See  Upham's  Rat.  Dis.,  147;  Punchard's  View, 
173. 

May  a  Member  Demit  His  Membership?  A  member  of 
a  Congregational  church,  against  whose  moral  character 
there  is  no  charge,  who  requests  to  be  released  from  its 
membership  for  reasons  which  the  church  after  careful 
conference  with  him  may  deem  satisfactory — such  as  change 
in  doctrinal  views — may  be  released  from  membership  at 
his  own  request.  This  was  not  the  custom  of  the  early 
Congregational   churches,  but  has  approved  itself  to  our 


DUTIES   AND   RIGHTS    OF   CHURCH    MEMBERS     163 

usage,  and  there  are  cases  in  which  it  appears  to  be  the 
only  just  and  wise  way.  In  every  such  case,  however,  the 
church  should  first  labor  affectionately  with  the  member 
and  seek  by  Christian  courtesy  and  brotherly  interest  to 
win  him  back  again. 

Termination  of  Membership.  If  a  member  desires  to  join  a 
religious  body  with  which  the  church  of  which  he  is  a  member  is 
not  in  fellowship,  or  which  would  not  receive  its  letter,  the  church 
may,  at  his  request,  give  him  a  certificate  of  his  good  standing 
and  terminate  his   membership. 

If  a  member,  against  whose  moral  character  there  is  no  charge, 
requests  to  be  released  from  his  covenant  obligations  to  the 
church,  for  reasons  which  the  church  may  finally  deem  satisfac- 
tory, after  it  shall  have  patiently  and  kindly  endeavored  to  secure 
his  continuance  in  its  fellowship,  such  request  may  be  granted  and 
his  membership  terminated.  In  these  two  cases  this  is  the  usage 
in  the  best  churches  today,  though  it  was  not  that  of  the  fathers. — 
Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p.  77. 

When  May  a  Church  Refuse  to   Grant  a   Letter?     A 

church  may  refuse  a  letter  to  a  member  who  is  under  dis- 
cipline or  to  one  who  is  concerned  in  a  recent  scandal  or 
misdemeanor  and  who  applies  for  a  letter  to  protect  him- 
self from  discipline.  If  a  member  ought  to  be  expelled 
from  the  church  and  attempts  to  escape  expulsion  by  re- 
questing a  letter,  the  church  should  protect  its  own  good 
name  and  protect  other  churches  to  whom  the  letter  might 
be  presented  by  refusing  the  request  and  summoning  him 
to  answer  to  the  charge  against  him.  If  his  offense  is  of 
long  standing  and  well  known,  and  the  church  has  ignored 
it  until  he  applies  for  a  letter,  but  has  permitted  him  to 
remain  in  good  and  regular  standing  even  though  he  has 
been  negligent  and  unfaithful  to  his  duty,  the  church  may 
not  then  refuse  him  a  letter.  It  may  refuse  such  letter. 
however,  if  the  reason  for  its  delay  has  been  its  charitable 
desire  to  bring  him  to  an  acknowledgement  of  his  sin,  and 
if  that  effort  has  failed  to  secure  his  repentance. 

Are  General  Letters  to  Be  Granted?  It  is  not  orderly 
for  a  Congregational  church  to  grant  a  letter  addressed  "To 
any  church."    The  letter  should  be  addressed  to  a  particular 


164         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

church  and  notice  should  be  sent  to  the  pastor  or  clerk  that 
the  member  has  thus  been  dismissed  to  it. 

Dismissing  Members  to  No  Church.  Nor  can  a  church  ismiss 
a  member  to  "any  church  with  which  the  Providence  of  God  may 
cast  his  lot,"  or  to  no  church.  To  do  the  former  would  be  to  put 
out  of  its  own  hands  the  question  of  its  fellowship,  and  entrust  to 
a  single  member  the  ability  to  compel  it  into  practical  fraternity 
with  error  from  which  it  might  shrink  with  dismay.  To  do  the 
latter  would  be  to  pass  an  ex  post  facto  law  attempting  to  annul  a 
covenant  to  which  the  church  is  one  party,  the  member  another, 
and  the  Great  Head  of  the  Church  the  chief. — Dexter:  Handbook, 
p.  103. 

May  There  Be  Dismission  to  Organizations  Out  of 
Fellowship?  If  a  member  of  the  church  in  good  standing 
requests  dismission  to  an  unevangelical  body,  he  should  be 
labored  with  in  love,  and  every  right  endeavor  put  forth  to 
retain  him  in  the  fellowship  of  the  church.  But  if  he  in- 
sists, he  should  not  be  thrust  out  harshly,  or  merely  dropped 
from  the  roll.  While  a  letter  cannot  be  addressed  to  the 
unevangelical  body,  the  member  may  be  given  a  certificate 
that  up  to  the  time  of  his  dismission  he  was  a  member  in 
regular  standing,  and  that  his  membership  is  terminated  at 
his  own  request.  The  theory  of  Dr.  Dexter,  in  the  quota- 
tion below,  is  consistent,  but  few  of  our  churches  now  hold 
rigidly  to  that  practice. 

Dismissal  to  Churches  Not  in  Fellowship.  If  a  member  should 
request  dismission  to  some  unevangelical  body,  it  would  become 
the  duty  of  the  church  to  attempt  to  dissuade  him  from  such  a 
course,  and,  if  he  persists,  to  make  him  a  subject  of  discipline,  in 
some  form.  No  church  can  give  letters  to  a  body  with  which  it  is 
not  in  full  and  fraternal  fellowship.  Neither  can  a  church  dismiss 
to  no  church;  that  is,  terminate  a  member's  relation  without  cen- 
sure, and  without  transfer. — Dexter:  Congregationalism,  p.  187. 

Form  for  Dismission.  A  suitable  form  for  dismission  of  such 
members  will  be  found  in  Barton's  Congregational  Manual. 

May  Church  Members  Be  Dropped?  The  custom  of 
"dropping  from  the  roll"  members  who  have  long  been 
absent  or  negligent,  and  who  do  not  ask  for,  and  perhaps 
do  not  desire  letters,  but  whose  lives  are  not  such  as  to 
deserve  expulsion,  has  come  into  such  general  use  as  to 
demand  recognition  and  acceptance  among  us.     But  such 


DUTIES   AND   RIGHTS   OF  CHURCH   MEMBERS    165 

usage  is  justified  only  after  a  church  has  exhausted  all 
reasonable  effort  to  trace  the  whereabouts  of  absentees  and 
endeavor  to  provide  letters  to  other  churches. 

The  habit  of  "dropping  members"  from  the  roll  has  been 
severely  condemned  by  Dexter  and  nearly  all  authorities 
in  our  denomination,  and  on  good  logical  grounds.  Still 
the  custom,  as  even  Dexter  admitted,  is  so  convenient  as 
almost  to  become  a  necessity  in  churches  whose  rolls  have 
become  cumbered  with  names  of  persons  no  longer  known. 
Virtually  the  habit  of  dropping  members  is  a  very  old  one. 

Dropping  Members.  Of  late  a  few  churches  calling  themselves 
Congregational  have  introduced  a  standing  rule  new  to  Congrega- 
tionalism, by  which,  at  the  discretion  of  the  body,  members  who 
have  for  a  considerable  time  absented  themselves  from  church 
communion,  and  who  do  not  ask  letters  of  dismission  and  com- 
mendation to  other  churches,  instead  of  being  dealt  with  as  cov- 
enant-breakers and  oflfenders,  may  be  simply  dropped  from  the 
roll.  The  propriety  of  such  action  has  been  the  subject  of  sharp 
debate,  more  particularly  in  connection  with  a  famous  case  where 
a  member  long  time  absent  had  circulated  and  promoted  scandals 
derogatory  to  the  Christian  integrity  of  the  pastor,  and  injurious 
to  the  reputation  of  the  church,  and  the  church  had  "dropped"  him 
under  circumstances  in  some  minds  giving  color  to  the  intimation 
that  it  was  done  in  order  to  avoid  what  he  might  say  in  his 
defense  were  he  to  be  proceeded  with  as  an  offender.  The  case 
came,  indirectly,  before  one  of  the  largest  and  most  famous  ec- 
clesiastical councils  of  modern  times,  which  advised  [The  Brook- 
lyn Council  of  1874,  p.  232]  that  "the  idea  of  membership  in  a 
Congregational  church  is  the  idea  of  a  covenant  between  the  indi- 
vidual member  and  the  church";  that  "voluntary  absence  does  not 
dissolve  that  covenant,  but  is  a  reasonable  ground  of  admonition, 
and,  if  persisted  in,  of  final  censure";  and  should  such  an  absentee 
be  complained  of  as  "having  circulated  and  promoted  scandal," 
etc.,  the  "consideration  that  he  has  long  ago  forsaken  the  church, 
is  only  an  aggravation  of  his  alleged  fault." 

It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  there  are  cases — especially  when 
large  churches,  after  a  considerable  period  of  neglect,  are  going 
over  their  lists  of  members,  to  find  perhaps  dozens  and  scores  who 
have  somehow  slipped  out  of  sight  until  no  man  knows  their  where- 
abouts— when  to  "drop"  them  would  be  the  most  convenient  way 
of  disposing  of  the  subject. — Dexter:  Handbook,  pp.  109,  110. 

A  Member  Departing  to  Non-Communion.  He  doth  disfran- 
chise and  excommunicate  himself.  If  a  member  thus  withdraw, 
the  church  ought  to  declare,  that  he,  being  sinfully  departed  from 
them,  is  no  longer  under  its  watch,  and  is  not  to  return  till  he  hath 
given  satisfaction  to  the  church. — Isaac  Chauncey:  Divine  Institution 
of  Cong.  Churches,  pp.  116,  117. 

It  may  sometimes   come  to   pass   that  a  church   member,   not 


166        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

otherwise  scandalous,  may  fully  withdraw.  ...  He  having  cut 
himself  off  from  that  church's  communion,  the  church  may  justly 
esteem  and  declare  itself  discharged  from  any  further  inspection 
over  him. — Congregational  Order,  Gen.  Assn.  of  Conn.,  1843,  pp. 
257-258. 

May    Letters    Be    Granted    Without    Dismission?     A 

member  of  a  church  contemplating  prolonged  absence  and 
desiring  to  establish  relations  with  Christians  in  other 
places  may  ask  the  church  for  a  letter  of  recommendation 
without  dismission.  Such  letters  have  the  force  of  a  vote 
of  confidence  and  of  Christian  introduction.  They  may  be 
granted  by  the  pastor  or  the  clerk  of  the  church  without 
especial  votes  of  authorization,  but  a  vote  of  the  church  is 
orderly  and  carries  more  weight.  Such  letters  have  become 
common  in  churches  in  the  vicinity  of  colleges  where  young 
people  desire  to  establish  church  relationship  during  the 
years  of  their  college  course  without  terminating  their 
membership  in  the  home  church.  Such  letters  are  useful 
and  the  custom  deserves  to  be  more  widely  adopted. 

What  Is  the  Status  of  Dismissed  Members?  Members 
who  have  been  dismissed  from  a  church  remain  members 
until  their  letters  are  accepted  by  the  church  to  which  they 
are  dismissed.  During  the  interval  between  the  granting 
and  the  placing  of  their  letters  they  remain  members  of 
the  former  church.  They  have  no  right  to  vote,  but  are 
subject  to  the  rules  of  discipline.  Should  they  be  guilty 
of  immorality  their  letter  of  recommendation  may  be  can- 
celled, and  fellowship  withdrawn  from  them  according  to 
the  regular  rules  of  the  church  in  matters  of  discipline. 

Remains  a  Member.  Order  requires  that  a  member  thus  re- 
moving have  letters  testimonial,  and  of  dismission  from  the  church 
whereof  he  yet  is,  unto  the  church  whereunto  he  desireth  to  be 
joined,  lest  the  church  should  be  deluded;  that  the  church  may 
receive  him  in  faith,  and  not  be  corrupted  by  receiving  deceivers 
and  false  brethren.  Until  the  person  dismissed  be  received  into 
another  church,  he  ceaseth  not  by  his  letters  of  dismission  to  be 
a  member  of  the  church  whereof  he  was.  The  church  cannot 
make  a  member  no  member,  but  by  excommunication. — Cambridge 
Platform,  xiii,  7. 

May  Dismissed  Members  Vote?    The  principle  here  set 


DUTIES   AND   RIGHTS   OF   CHURCH   MEMBERS    167 

forth  that  members  who  have  been  dismissed  but  have  not 
deposited  their  letters  with  other  churches  have  no  right 
to  vote,  is  one  that  cannot  be  too  strongly  insisted  upon. 
Although  this  is  a  point  that  has  usually  been  overlooked 
by  our  authorities  on  church  polity,  it  is  a  matter  implied 
in  the  writings  of  most  of  them,  and  is  the  only  possible 
position  consistent  with  good  sense.  That  a  member 
should  demand  his  letter,  and  having  received  it  should 
remain  in  its  meetings  and  vote,  is  wholly  unreasonable 
and  contrary  to  good  order.  For  this  reason  we  cannot 
accept  the  implication  of  Dr.  Dexter  that  a  dismissed  mem- 
ber might  be  permitted  to  vote  if  there  were  no  special  rule. 
No  such  rule  is  necessary. 

Dr.  Dexter  said:  All  dismissed  members  remain  members  in 
full  of  the  dismissing  church  until  they  have  actually  been  received 
by  the  church  to  which  their  relation  is  to  be  transferred;  although 
some  churches,  by  special  rule,  deprive  such  members  of  the  right 
to  vote  except  on  surrender  of  the  letter. — Handbook,  p.  104. 

Voting  Members.  Members  in  good  standing,  to  whom  the 
church  has  not  voted  letters  of  dismission,  who  are  twenty-one 
years  of  age,  or  of  the  age  prescribed  by  the  state,  and  such  only, 
may  vote  in  the  meetings  of  the  church  for  business. — Boynton: 
Congregational  Way,  p.  75. 

What  Is  the  Status  of  a  Member  Who  Partly  With- 
draws? It  sometimes  occurs  that  a  member,  in  order  to 
force  or  frustrate  a  certain  action  by  the  church,  makes  a 
conditional  withdrawal  from  its  membership,  and  perplex- 
ing questions  have  sometimes  risen  as  to  whether  he  is  or 
is  not  still  a  member  of  the  church.  His  status  depends 
on  the  form  of  his  own  demand  and  on  the  action  of  the 
church.  If  he  says:  "If  the  church  takes  this  proposed 
action  I  will  withdraw,"  and  the  church  does  nevertheless 
take  the  proposed  action,  his  threat  does  not  end  his  mem- 
bership, or  even  authorize  the  church  to  dismiss  him.  It 
is  due  him  to  treat  his  threat  as  a  case  of  pique,  and  to 
hope  that  he  will  come  to  a  different  frame  of  mind.  If  he 
says:  "If  the  church  takes  this  action,  it  may  consider  this 
my  request  for  dismission  to  the  Methodist  Church  in  this 
village,"  the  church  will  be  justified  in  following  its  action 


168        THE  LAW   OF  CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

by  voting  him  his  letter ;  but  it  will  be  better  not  to  do  so 
until  he  renews  the  request.  If,  however,  the  brother  is  a 
chronic  resigner,  habitually  attempting  to  carry  his  will  by 
threats  of  leaving  the  church,  it  may  be  well  to  take  advan- 
tage of  the  first  real  application,  and  give  him  leave  to  de- 
part in  peace. 

Should  Letters  Be  Asked  or  Granted  to  Churches  Which 
Will  Not  Receive  Them?  A  member  of  a  Congregational 
church  desiring  to  withdraw  to  unite  with  an  Episcopal  or 
other  church  which  will  not  receive  letters  from  Congrega- 
tional churches,  should  nevertheless  in  every  case  secure 
an  orderly  dismission  from  the  Congregational  church  be- 
fore uniting  with  the  other.  In  case  he  fails  to  do  it  he  is  a 
proper  subject  of  discipline,  and  his  name  should  be  dropped 
from  the  roll. 

Churches  should  grant  such  letters  in  regular  form.  We 
cannot  afford  to  measure  our  Christian  courtesy  by  the 
possible  discourtesy  of  others. 

The  records  of  the  Old  South  Church  in  Boston  inform 
us  fully  of  the  case  of  one  Roger  Jud,  who  in  October, 
1698,  "was  resolved  to  desert  this  church  on  account  of 
some  disgust  taken."  He  went  straight  to  the  new  Episco- 
pal Church,  without  asking  for  a  letter.  The  pastor  of  the 
Old  South,  Dr.  Willard,  sought  to  learn  his  grievance,  and 
being  treated  with  contempt,  sought  at  least  to  have  him 
go  forth  in  an  orderly  way.  But  Jud,  "having  declared  his 
renouncing  communion  with  this  church  and  accordingly 
deserted  it,  he  refused  to  give  account  of  it,  when  orderly 
called  to  it,  and  declared  that  he  neither  counted  himself 
subject  to  the  minister  nor  the  church."  His  only  word, 
given  to  Judge  Samuel  Sewall,  was,  "that  now  'twas  his 
conscience  to  go  to  the  Church  of  England."  But  his  con- 
science did  not  suggest  to  him  that  he  should  avail  himself 
of  the  orderly  method  provided  for  dismission  in  the  cov- 
enant which  he  had  accepted  on  joining  the  Old  South. 
Dr.  Willard  thus  recorded  the  censure  passed  upon  him : 
"The  matter  of  his  offense  is  not  his  going  off  from  this 


DUTIES  AND   RIGHTS   OF  CHURCH   MEMBERS    169 

church;  for  wee  acknowledge  there  is  a  lawfulness  to  do 
so,  provided  it  bee  orderly;  but  the  manner  of  it."  And, 
as  he  had  refused  to  permit  the  church  to  dismiss  him  in  a 
brotherly  way,  there  remained  for  them  the  alternative  of 
excommunicating  him,  which  reluctantly  they  did,  "till  God 
shall  give  him  repentance." 

We  could  wish  this  first  had  also  been  the  last  instance 
of  a  Congregationalist  going  to  the  Episcopal  or  other 
church,  in  violation  of  his  covenant  agreement,  without 
asking  for  a  letter  of  dismission.  Such  action  is  needless 
and  unchristian  discourtesy,  both  on  the  part  of  the  depart- 
ing member  and  of  the  receiving  church.  Such  church 
should  refuse  to  receive  members  from  other  churches  till 
they  have  terminated  their  relations  with  the  bodies  to 
which  they  belong.  So  long  as  a  church  stands  ready  to 
dismiss  with  brotherly  love  and  in  an  orderly  manner  mem- 
bers desiring  admission  to  other  churches,  no  other  church, 
whether  it  uses  the  letter  or  not,  has  a  right  to  accept  a 
member  coming  from  such  a  church  without  his  having 
applied  for  such  a  letter.  His  leaving  in  such  manner  is 
a  violation  of  his  covenant,  in  which  he  agrees  to  submit 
to  the  authority  of  the  church  until  regularly  dismissed 
therefrom.  And  a  covenant  breaker  is  not  a  fit  person  to 
be  received  into  another  church,  nor  should  another  church 
encourage  the  breaking  of  covenants. 

What  Is  the  Duty  of  a  Church  to  Its  Absent  Members? 
Members  of  the  church  who  have  been  absent  for  a  period 
of  years  should  be  placed  on  a  separate  list  from  that  of 
the  active  members.  They  should  be  encouraged  to  take 
letters  to  churches  in  their  neighborhood  and  to  relieve 
their  home  church  from  the  burden  of  carrying  a  large 
number  of  absentees  upon  its  list. 

If  such  members  continue  to  be  absent  for  years,  their 
names  may  properly  be  placed  upon  a  suspended  list  and 
dropped  entirely  from  the  church  roll.  It  sometimes  hap- 
pens, however,  that  people  who  have  been  absent  for  a  long 
time  at  length  appear  and  present  requests  for  their  letters. 


170        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Such  requests  may  be  granted  in  a  form  essentially  as 
follows : 

"This  is  to  certify  that  Mr.  A.  B.  became  a  member  of  this 

church  on  ,  19 ,  and  that  his  name  continued  upon 

its  roll  of  members  until  ,  19 ,  when,  having  moved 

from  this  community  without  asking  for  letters  of  dismission,  his 
name  was  removed  from  our  roll  of  members  in  accordance  with 
the  custom  of  the  church.  The  church  will  be  glad  to  know  of 
his  membership  in  some  other  Christian  body." 

Shall  a  Church  Receive  Members  Who  Cannot  Assent 
to  Its  Creed?  Congregationalism  does  not  accept  the  prin- 
ciple of  creed  subscription  as  a  condition  of  church  mem- 
bership. If  the  church  creed  is  employed  in  the  examina- 
tion of  candidates  for  church  membership,  it  should  be  with 
the  purpose  of  assisting  them  in  the  expression  of  their 
own  faith  and  by  no  means  as  a  test  of  their  fitness  to  be- 
come members.  No  Congregational  church  has  a  moral 
right  to  make  a  cteed  for  the  purpose  of  keeping  Christian 
people  out.  If  a  candidate  for  membership  is  a  Christian 
he  belongs  in  the  church. 

Subscription  to  a  Creed  Not  Required  for  Membership.     Nor 

is  it  consistent  with  Congregational  principles  for  a  particular 
church  to  draw  up  a  creed  and  to  require  its  acceptance  by  candi- 
dates for  membership.  A  Christian  church  is  not  a  private  society, 
whose  regulations  can  be  modified  by  its  members  at  their  pleas- 
ure, but  a  society  founded  by  Christ  himself,  and  intended  by  Him 
to  be  the  home  of  all  Christians.  Nothing,  therefore,  should  be 
required  of  an  applicant  for  membership  but  personal  faith  in 
Christ;  this  may  exist,  and  there  may  be  decisive  evidence  of  its 
existence,  in  persons  who  have  no  clear  intellectual  apprehension 
of  many  of  the  great  truths  of  the  Christian  gospel;  it  may  exist, 
and  there  may  be  decisive  evidence  of  its  existence,  in  persons  by 
whom  some  of  these  truths  are  rejected.  Men  come  into  the 
church,  not  because  they  have  already  mastered  the  contents  of  the 
Christian  revelation,  but  to  be  taught  them.— Dale:  Cong.  Manual, 
p.  186. 

Nor  yet  can  a  church  dominate  the  faith  or  conscience  of  its 
members.  With  such  personal  religious  liberty  no  man,  or  com- 
bination of  men,  has  a  right  to  interfere.  For  such  liberty  and  its 
lawful  exercise  each  one  is  responsible  to  God  alone.  The  church's 
authority  goes  not  so  ia.r.—Hiscox:  Baptist  Directory,  p.  SO. 

The  same  conception  of  the  Church  that  requires  that  only 
those  who  believe  in  Christ  should  be  admitted  into  a  Christian 
church  requires  that  none  who  beheve  in  Him  should  be  refused 
admission.— Do/f.-  Cong.  Manual,  p.  49. 


X.    THE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  LOCAL  CHURCH 

What  Are  the  Officers  of  the  Church?  The  essential 
officers  of  a  church  are  those  which  enable  it  to  perform  its 
spiritual  work  in  an  orderly  and  effective  fashion.  As  in 
the  New  Testament  times,  so  now,  church  officers  are  of 
two  groups,  ministerial  and  lay.  In  the  New  Testament, 
as  we  have  already  seen,  the  officers  were  pastors  and 
deacons,  the  pastors  being  called  also  presbyters,  that  is, 
elders  and  bishops.  The  laymen  elected  to  perform  special 
services  in  connection  with  the  care  of  the  poor  and  the 
assistance  of  the  ministry  were  called  deacons.  These  are 
the  essential  officers  of  the  church.  Even  in  the  New 
Testament  time  it  is  apparent  that  church  organization  was 
something  of  specialization.  Ministers  were  not  merely 
pastors  of  local  churches,  they  became  also  evangelists  and 
itinerant  apostles.  Likewise  also,  at  a  very  early  time,  the 
offices  held  by  laymen  manifested  some  of  the  effects  of 
specialization.  This  principle  is  clearly  recognized  by  Paul 
in  Romans  12,  I  Corinthians  12,  and  Ephesians  4.  The 
development  of  church  life  in  more  recent  times  has  called 
for  still  further  specialization.  The  work  of  the  ministry  is 
now  much  wider  than  the  local  pastorate,  involving  admin- 
istrative, secretarial,  editorial  and  educational  functions.  The 
offices  held  by  laymen  also  have  increased  in  number  and 
have  widened  the  sphere  of  their  activity.  In  addition  to 
deacons,  who  formerly  had  charge  of  the  secular  interests 
of  the  church,  there  now  are  commonly  trustees,  who  have 
more  direct  responsibility  for  the  custody  of  the  church's 
property  and  financial  interests,  while  the  deacons  care  for 
those  matters  more  closely  related  to  the  work  of  the  min- 
istry. In  some  denominations  the  deacon  is  a  candidate 
for  the  ministry,  so  that  the  diaconate  has  become  a  clerical 
instead  of  a  lay  office.  This,  however,  was  not  the  original 
intent;  nor  is  it  the  method  employed  in  Congregational 
churches. 


172        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Officers  Not  Absolutely  Necessary.  A  church  being  a  company 
of  people  combined  together  by  covenant  for  the  worship  of  God, 
it  appearcth  thereby,  that  there  may  be  the  essence  and  being  of 
a  church  without  any  officers,  seeing  there  is  both  the  form  and 
matter  of  a  church;  which  is  implied  when  it  is  said,  the  apostles 
ordained  elders  in  every  church. 

Nevertheless,  though  officers  be  not  absolutely  necessary  to 
the  simple  being  of  churches,  when  they  be  called,  yet  ordinarily 
to  their  calling  they  are,  and  to  their  well  being;  and  therefore 
the  Lord  Jesus,  out  of  his  tender  compassion,  hath  appointed  and 
ordained  officers,  which  he  would  not  have  done,  if  they  had  not 
been  useful  and  needful  for  the  church. — Cambridge  Platform,  vi,  1. 

Officers  Should  Be  Guides.  Church  officers  are  also  more  than 
servants;  they  are  the  chosen  guides  of  the  churches  electing  them. 
They  are  to  see  to  it,  each  officer  in  his  place,  that  the  church  they 
serve  shall  be  trained  and  guided  thoroughly  in  every  function  for 
the  duties  and  labors  required  of  it  as  a  church  of  Christ.  The 
pastor,  as  being  the  leader,  or  chief,  or  shepherd,  by  patience, 
loving  suggestion,  example,  instruction,  should  secure  the  prompt 
and  complete  performance  of  every  organic  function,  that  his 
church  may  be  thoroughly  equipped,  and  active  in  every  good 
work;  so  trained  that  every  service  and  duty  will  go  on  regularly 
if  the  pastor  be  absent.  Hence,  though  a  pastor  may  in  a  noble 
sense  be  all  things  to  all  men,  if  by  any  means  he  may  save  some 
(I  Cor.  9:20-23),  yet  he  can  not  wisely  be  all  the  officers  in  a 
church.  Nothing  is  more  destructive  of  organic  life  and  power 
than  such  dependence  on  the  pastor,  unless  it  be  an  unquestioning 
devotion  to  him.  The  first  duty  of  the  pastor  is  the  development 
of  the  organic  life  of  a  church,  so  that  it  shall  not  be  a  congrega- 
tion merely,  but  a  trained  band  of  workers,  able  to  stand  alone 
and  carry  on  its  functions  and  labors  for  a  season  as  a  church. — 
Ross:  Church-Kingdom,  p.  191. 

What  Are  the  Duties  of  the  Pastor?  The  duties  of  the 
pastor  are  considered  at  length  in  a  separate  chapter.  In 
the  modern  church  they  are  fourfold.  He  is  preacher, 
teacher,  pastor  and  administrator.  These  duties  vary 
according  to  the  conditions  of  the  local  church,  but  they 
combine  in  some  degree  all  these  functions.  It  is  safe  to 
say  that  no  man  is  equally  effective  in  each  of  these  four 
relations.  It  is  also  safe  to  affirm  that  a  minister  may  not 
properly  neglect  any  of  them. 

The  Ministry  a  Rank  of  Service.  Looking  at  the  ministry  in 
the  modern  specific  sense,  it  is  nothing  less  and  can  be  nothing 
more  than  a  rank  of  service.  One  is  qualified  for  it  by  gifts,  by 
training,  by  experience;  these,  on  the  Christian  doctrine  of  the 
Spirit,  constitute  his  inward  call.  But  he  enters  it  only  through 
the  call  of  some  Christian  company,  itself  presumptively  an  act  in 
which  Christ's  Spirit  was  concerned.     Imposition  of  hands  is  the 


THE    OFFICERS    OF  THE   LOCAL    CHURCH        173 

recognition  of  this  double  call,  the  solemn  setting  apart  of  the 
man  chosen  by  a  particular  church  to  be  its  spiritual  shepherd  and 
administrative  head.  This  act  confers  on  him  no  gifts  he  did  not 
have  before.  It  gives  him  no  priestly  rights  of  his  own.  It  is 
simply  the  formal  transference  to  him  of  the  priestly  functions  of 
the  church,  such  as  the  administration  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's 
Supper  (we  might  add  marriage  and  burial). — Heermance:  Democ- 
racy of  the  Church,  pp.  142-143. 

What  Is  a  Deacon?  A  deacon  is  a  layman,  elected  by 
a  local  church,  to  advise  the  pastor,  to  assist  in  the  admin- 
istration of  the  ordinances  of  the  church,  and  to  represent 
the  church  in  the  care  of  the  poor  and  in  the  oversight  of 
its  discipline.  The  deacons  of  the  church  constitute  ex 
officiis  its  committee  on  discipline,  unless  other  provision 
is  made  for  this  branch  of  the  work  by  the  order  of  the 
church.  The  deacons  share  with  the  pastor  responsibility 
for  the  religious  services,  particularly  those  of  fellowship 
and  prayer.  They  are  his  most  intimate  advisers,  and 
should  be  his  heartiest  and  most  sympathetic  supporters. 
In  some  churches  deacons  are  elected  for  life ;  but  in  most 
churches  the  term  of  service  is  defined  by  the  rules  of  the 
church. 

How  the  New  Testament  deacons  were  chosen  is  indi- 
cated in  Acts  6:  i-6.  A  sharp  distinction  is  drawn  between 
their  duties  and  those  of  the  ministry.  Their  appointment 
grew  out  of  complaints  that  certain  of  the  poor  were  ne- 
glected, particularly  among  the  Gentile  converts,  and  it  is 
evident  that  these  Gentile  converts  were  represented 
among  the  seven  deacons  who  were  chosen.  Two  of  these 
deacons,  Stephen  and  Phillip,  became  evangelists,  and  this 
fact  has  served  as  a  pretext  for  making  the  diaconate  a 
subordinate  order  of  the  ministry.  This,  however,  is  un- 
warranted in  the  Scriptures.  While  a  deacon  may  become 
a  minister,  and  many  deacons  have  done  so,  there  is  no 
indication  in  the  New  Testament  that  the  diaconate  was 
planned  as  a  vestibule  to  the  ministry,  much  less  that  it 
was  intended  to  be  a  subordinate  rank  in  the  ministry 
itself. 

The  first  deacons  were  chosen  to  attend  to  secular  mat- 


174        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

ters,  particularly  the  distribution  of  alms.  At  that  time  it 
was  not  necessary  to  consider  the  care  of  real  estate,  for 
none  of  the  churches  had  buildings  of  their  own.  The  care 
of  church  property  now  calls  for  still  more  diversified  organ- 
ization, and  many  of  the  business  affairs  of  the  church  are 
cared  for  by  the  trustees.  The  care  of  the  poor,  however, 
still  remains  the  peculiar  province  of  the  deacons.  For  the 
rest,  the  larger  responsibilities  of  the  modern  deacon  are 
with  the  spiritual  interests  of  the  church. 

The  office  of  deacon  ought  to  be  held  in  great  honor. 
It  is  the  highest  office  in  the  church,  excepting  only  that 
of  the  ministry  itself.  The  title  deacon  ought  to  stand  in 
popular  thought,  not  as  a  term  of  ridicule  or  cheap  merri- 
ment, but  as  one  wherein  the  church  expresses  in  a  high 
degree  its  confidence  in  the  character  and  efficiency  of  its 
own  laity. 

Duties  of  Deacons.  The  office  of  a  deacon  is  instituted  in  the 
church  by  the  Lord  Jesus;  sometimes  they  are  called  helps.  The 
Scripture  telleth  us  how  they  should  be  qualified,  "Grave,  not 
double  tongued,  not  given  to  much  wine,  not  given  to  filthy  lucre." 
They  must  first  be  proved,  and  then  use  the  office  of  a  deacon, 
being  found  blameless.  The  office  and  work  of  the  deacon  is  to 
receive  the  offerings  of  the  church,  gifts  given  to  the  church,  and 
to  keep  the  treasury  of  the  church,  and  therewith  to  serve  the 
tables  which  the  church  is  to  provide  for;  as  the  Lord's  table,  the 
table  of  the  ministers,  and  of  such  as  are  in  necessity,  to  whom 
they  are  to  distribute  in  simplicity. — Cambridge  Platform,  vii,  3. 

Term  of  Office  of  Deacons.  It  was  formerly  the  custom  to 
elect  deacons  for  life,  as  indeed  was  the  case  with  the  minister. 
Those  were  the  days  when  all  men  expected  to  remain  in  the  same 
place  for  life,  the  lawyer,  the  merchant  and  the  blacksmith,  as  well 
as  the  church  officials.  In  our  day,  the  deacons  are  generally 
elected  for  a  term  of  years,  usually  so  that  only  one  vacancy  may 
occur  each  year;  or  two,  if  the  number  of  deacons  be  large.  In 
many  churches  it  is  the  rule  that  after  one  full  term  of  service  a 
deacon  shall  not  be  eligible  for  re-election  until  one  year  has 
passed.  This  leaves  the  church  free  to  select,  delivers  it  from  the 
necessity  of  reappointing  one  who  has  not  proved  himself  to  be 
a  valuable  officer,  enables  it  to  drop  one  on  the  expiration  of  his 
term  of  office  whom  it  would  not  choose  if  free  to  select,  without 
casting  slight  on  him,  and  develops  material  for  such  service  from 
the  younger  men  and  the  newcomers.  Ordination  to  this  office 
was  once  the  general  usage,  but  with  the  lapse  of  the  life  tenure 
has  largely  gone  into  disuse. — Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p.  55. 


THE    OFFICERS    OF   THE   LOCAL    CHURCH        175 

What  Is  the  Office  of  the  Deacon?  To  receive  the  offerings  of 
the  church,  which  are  brought  unto  them,  and  laid  down  before 
them,  and  therewith  to  serve  tables,  to  distribute  with  simplicity, 
not  only  to  the  ministers  of  the  church,  but  to  any  other  of  the 
brethren,  as  they  shall  have  use  or  need  (Acts  6:3,  6;  Rom.  12:8; 
I  Tim.  5: 17,  18;  Acts  4:35;  I  Cor.  16). 

But  is  it  not  also  the  deacon's  office  to  show  mercy  with  cheer- 
fulness? Yes,  verily,  to  their  brethren  in  misery;  but  that  part  of 
their  office,  they  cheerfully  perform  by  the  hand  of  the  widows, 
which  are  chosen  into  their  number,  who  are  therefore  called  dea- 
conesses or  servants  of  the  church  (Rom.  12:8;  Micah  7:18). — 
Questions  and  Answers  Upon  Church  Government  by  John  Cotton, 
1634.  From  Manuscript  of  Henry  M.  Dexter,  Yale  University 
Library. 

What  Is  a  Deaconess?  In  the  New  Testament  churches 
certain  women  were  elected  to  offices.  There  were  deacon- 
esses as  well  as  deacons,  and  there  appears  also  to  have 
been  an  order  of  "widows,"  composed  of  women  who  no 
longer  had  home  ties,  and  who,  being  of  mature  age  and 
Christian  experience,  were  set  apart  for  special  service, 
particularly  in  the  instruction  of  the  younger  women  of  the 
church.  Any  church  is  at  liberty  to  provide  for  the  election 
of  deaconesses  out  of  its  own  membership.  These  may  or 
may  not  serve  on  the  board  of  deacons  with  advice  and 
counsel.  In  churches  where  deaconesses  are  elected  it  is 
not  customary  for  them  to  serve  in  the  administration  of 
the  ordinances,  but  only  to  sit  in  council  with  the  deacons 
and  to  share  their  work  in  the  gentler  offices  of  discipline 
and  in  the  effective  relief  of  the  poor.  In  some  churches 
where  no  deaconesses  are  elected,  it  is  customary  to  elect 
a  Prudential  Committee,  of  which  part  of  the  members 
are  women.  Often  the  pastor's  wife  is  a  member  ex  officio 
of  this  committee. 

More  recently  there  has  risen  among  us  a  new  interpre- 
tation of  the  office  of  deaconess,  as  that  of  a  woman  trained 
as  a  church  visitor  or  pastor's  assistant,  not  necessarily 
elected  from  the  membership  of  the  local  church,  but  em- 
ployed as  a  salaried  agent  of  the  church.  This  office  has 
justified  itself  in  practice,  and  the  status  of  a  deaconess  is 
that  of  a  salaried  worker,  whose  term  of  service  and  the 


176         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

definition  of  whose  duties  are  to  be  determined  by  the  local 
church. 

The  title  deaconess  appears  after  some  experiment  not  to 
be  a  popular  one  in  Congregationalism.  The  increasing 
number  of  young  women  who  are  entering  the  service  of 
our  churches  as  salaried  workers  wear  no  distinctive  garb, 
and  appear  to  desire  not  to  be  confused  with  women  in 
other  denominations  who  are  designated  by  that  term.  At 
the  National  Council  of  19 15  a  national  organization  of 
women  serving  the  churches  in  the  capacities  of  pastor's 
assistants,  directors  of  education  and  of  young  people's 
work,  secretarial  assistants  and  parish  visitors,  and  the 
general  name  of  "church  assistants"  was  chosen  to  cover 
all  these  groups  of  workers. 

A  deaconess  is  not  necessarily  the  wife  of  a  deacon. 
This  matter  was  discussed  in  early  New  England,  and  of  it 
Cotton  Mather  said : 

'Tis  often  inquired,  when  deacons  are  chosen,  whether  their 
wives  are  such  as  directed;  but  there  is  a  mistake  about  the  mean- 
ing of  the  text  in  I  Tim.  3:11.  It  is  gunaikes,  women,  i.  e.,  the 
deaconesses  or  widows;  and  there  is  not  there  one  word  about 
deacons'  wives  any  more  than  the  pastors'. — Rat.  Dis.,  131. 

What  Manner  of  Widows  Hath  God  Allowed  to  Be  Chosen  Into 
This  Number?  Ancient  women,  of  sixty  years  of  age,  well  reported 
of  for  good  works,  for  nursing  their  children,  lodging  strangers, 
washing  the  saints'  feet,  for  relieving  the  afflicted,  and  following 
diligently  every  good  work  (I  Tim.  5:9,  10;  Rom.  6). — Questions 
and  Answers  Upon  Church  Government  by  John  Cotton,  1634. 
From  Manuscript  of  Henry  M.  Dexter,  Yale  University  Library. 

Deacons  and  Deaconesses.  To  the  Deacons  office  we  would 
adde  Deaconesses,  where  such  may  be  had,  according  to  which 
should  be  widows  of  the  Church,  faithfull,  approved,  and  full  of 
good  works,  who  give  themselves  to  works  of  mercy  cheerfully; 
and  to  be  serviceable  also  to  those  that  are  sick,  when  the  Deacon 
so  conveniently  cannot,  and  sometime  so  modestly  may  not  send 
their  help  as  that  sex  may. — T.  Welde:  A  Brief  Narration  of  the 
Practices  of  the  Churches  in  New  England,  London,  1645. 

Should  Deacons  Be  Installed?  The  custom  of  our 
churches  varies.  Many  churches  install  their  deacons,  and 
it  is  altogether  fitting  that  this  should  be  done. 

Forms  for  the  Installation  of  Deacons  will  be  found  in  Barton's 
Congregational  Manual,  pp.  224-225. 


THE    OFFICERS    OF   THE   LOCAL    CHURCH        177 

Should  Other  Officers  Be  Installed?  It  is  proper  that 
the  church  should  install  its  officers  other  than  deacons  if 
it  sees  fit  so  to  do. 

A  convenient  form  for  the  installation  of  officers  other  than 
deacons  will  be  found  in  Barton's  Congregational  Manual,  p.  225. 

What  Are  the  Duties  of  the  Clerk?  It  is  the  duty  of  a 
church  clerk  to  record  faithfully  all  business  transacted  by 
the  church,  to  keep  a  careful  list  of  its  members,  together 
with  dates  of  their  admission,  the  form  of  their  reception, 
whether  by  confession  or  by  letter,  and  if  by  letter,  from 
what  church,  and  the  manner  and  date  of  their  dismission. 
It  is  his  duty  also  to  record  all  baptisms,  both  infant  and 
adult,  all  deaths  and  marriages,  and  other  important  events 
in  the  life  of  the  church  and  of  its  members.  It  is  his  duty 
to  issue  credentials  to  all  delegates  who  are  elected  to  rep- 
resent the  church,  and  to  certify  such  accounts  as  may  be 
required  by  him.  He  should  keep  the  records  of  the  church 
in  his  custody,  being  careful  to  protect  them  from  fire  or 
other  loss,  should  hold  them  at  all  times  subject  to  the 
inspection  of  the  pastor  or  the  officers  of  the  church,  and 
render  an  annual  report  to  the  church  of  the  performance 
of  all  his  duties. 

The  Clerk  a  Custodian  for  the  Church.  In  like  manner,  the 
clerk  can  not  withhold  papers,  documents,  or  records  belonging 
to  the  church,  or  correspondence  as  clerk,  on  the  plea  that  they 
arc  private  property,  but  must,  instead,  as  the  servant  of  the 
church,  produce  them  when  required.  He  is  only  custodian  for 
the  church.  Church  officers  are  the  servants  of  the  churches  that 
elect  them,  and  they  that  serve  best  are  the  greatest. — Ross: 
Church-Kingdom,  p.  191. 

What  Is  the  Duty  of  the  Treasurer?  The  church  treas- 
urer should  receive  and  hold  all  moneys  of  the  church  and 
its  benevolences.  He  should  keep  them  separate  from  all 
moneys  of  his  own,  depositing  them  in  some  secure  bank 
in  the  name  of  the  church,  and  drawing  upon  them  only  in 
accordance  with  the  vote  of  the  church  or  of  its  authorized 
officers.  He  should  render  to  the  church  at  stated  intervals 
and  whenever  required,  full  written   reports  showing  the 


178  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

receipt  and  disposition  of  all  funds  submitted  to  him.  These 
reports  should  be  duly  audited,  and  when  approved  by  the 
church  should  be  deposited  with  the  clerk. 

Fidelity  of  Treasurers.  On  January  1st  the  Episcopal  Church 
begins  the  year  with  the  certainty  of  a  few  thousand  dollars,  the 
income  from  endowments,  and  although  it  has  no  legal  power  to 
collect  another  dollar,  the  church  closes  its  accounts  twelve  months 
later  with  some  $20,000,000  to  $30,000,000  contributed  and  paid 
out.  That  sum  has  come  into  the  diflferent  treasuries  in  perhaps  a 
hundred  million  items.  It  has  been  counted,  handled,  and  ex- 
pended by  some  twenty  thousand  treasurers,  collectors  and  other 
agents,  most  of  whom  have  had  no  education  in  financial  adminis- 
tration, and  little  experience  in  accounts.  Imperfect  as  is  the  ad- 
ministration, the  marvel  is  that  the  work  on  the  whole  is  so  well 
done,  for  we  must  remember  that  practically  the  whole  work  is 
done  as  a  labor  of  love  and  loyalty  without  salary  or  other  com- 
pensation.— Bishop  William  Lawrence,  quoted  in  the  Journal  of  Ac- 
countancy, April,  1915. 

What  Is  the  Duty  of  the  Trustees?  The  trustees  of  the 
church  should  attend  to  its  business  interests  according  to 
their  powers  as  prescribed  by  the  rules  of  the  church.  They 
should  care  for  the  church  property  and  keep  it  in  repair; 
they  should  be  diligent  in  maintaining  the  church  finances 
upon  a  basis  of  dignity  and  prosperity.  They  are  the 
custodians  of  the  church  property  in  all  matters  other  than 
those  that  are  distinctly  religious.  They  have  no  authority 
to  forbid  the  use  of  the  church  building  to  the  pastor  or 
deacons  for  any  spiritual  use,  and  in  any  question  of  the 
use  of  the  building  for  social,  literary  or  other  purpose  not 
distinctly  religious,  the  authority  of  the  trustees  is  subject 
to  the  will  of  the  church.  The  trustees  should  always 
regard  the  secular  life  of  the  church  as  subordinate  to  its 
religious  life,  and  should  carefully  avoid  any  importing  of 
the  financial  affairs  of  the  organization  into  its  spiritual 
concerns  in  such  a  way  as  to  work  disadvantageously  to 
the  spiritual  interests  of  the  organization.  While  they 
should  conduct  the  business  affairs  of  the  church  in  a  busi- 
nesslike manner,  paying  its  bills  promptly  and  carefully 
keeping  its  credit  above  reproach,  they  should  with  equal 
care  avoid  bringing  into  the  temple  of  God  the  atmosphere 


THE    OFFICERS    OF   THE   LOCAL   CHURCH         179 

of  the  market,  and  making  the  house  of  prayer  a  den  of 
thieves  or  a  babel  of  business. 

May  a  Church  Vacate  an  Office?  A  church  rarely  de- 
clares an  office  vacant,  and  yet  has  an  undoubted  right  to 
do  so  for  good  cause.  Such  a  proceeding  would  have  vir- 
tually the  effect  of  a  suspension  of  the  rules,  and  should 
be  possible  by  no  smaller  majority  than  would  be  required 
for  such  suspension.  If  the  office  is  one  that  is  filled  by 
ballot,  the  vote  to  vacate  should  also  be  taken  by  ballot. 

The  vacating  of  an  office  is  a  very  unusual  act,  and 
ought  to  be  discouraged.  An  officer  elected  for  a  definite 
term  should  be  permitted  to  serve  out  his  term  in  all  but 
the  most  extreme  cases.  We  cannot  accept  the  statement 
of  Dexter  that  the  removal  of  an  officer  who  has  been  elected 
for  a  definite  term  can  be  accomplished  by  a  majority  vote. 
Such  a  vote  would  be  a  virtual  suspension  of  a  rule,  i.  e., 
the  rule  governing  the  term  of  an  election,  and  must  require 
not  less  than  a  two-thirds  vote. 

How  to  Vacate  Church  Offices.  The  simple  principle  governing 
this  is  that  the  power  which  sets  up  is  always  competent  to  set 
down;  so  that  whenever  the  church  which  has  elected  a  member 
to  an  office  because  it  thought  him  most  suitable  for  that  honor 
and  that  duty,  sees  reason  to  change  its  mind,  and  becomes  con- 
vinced that  the  best  interests  of  the  cause  of  Christ  require  another 
arrangement,  it  has  as  much — and  the  same — power  to  bring  about 
that  change,  as  it  had  to  produce  the  condition  of  things  that  now 
is.  Whenever,  then,  it  comes  to  be  felt  by  the  majority  of  a 
church  that  its  best  interests  demand  the  removal  of  any  person 
whom  it  has  placed  in  any  position  of  official  power  and  responsi- 
bility, it  should  pass  a  vote  kindly  and  clearly  stating  that  fact, 
and  requesting  that  person  to  resign.  If  this  prove  ineffectual  it 
should  next — in  all  cases  except  where  the  pastorate  is  con- 
cerned— pass  a  second  vote  removing  the  party  from  his  office; 
which  office,  thus  vacated,  it  may  then  proceed  to  fill.  Such  a  vote 
is  not  necessarily,  even  impliedly,  a  censure  upon  the  Christian — 
but  only  upon  the  official — character  of  the  party  (whether  com- 
mittee-man or  deacon)  removed;  and  therefore  he  cannot  effectu- 
ally object  against  it  that  it  is  a  covert  attempt  to  discipline  him 
in  an  unscriptural  manner. — Dexter:  Handbook,  p.  112. 

Power  of  Church  to  Dismiss  Its  Officers.  And  if  the  church 
have  power  to  choose  their  officers  and  ministers,  then  in  case  of 
manifest  unworthiness  and  delinquency,  they  have  power  also  to 
depose  them:  for  to  open  and  shut,  to  choose  and  refuse,  to  consti- 
tute in  office  and  remove  from  office,  arc  acts  belonging  to  the 
same  power. — Cambridge  Platform,  vii,  7. 


180         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

If  every  church  be  formed  by  confederation  and  has  an  inde- 
pendent right  to  exercise  all  ecclesiastical  power,  then  they  have 
a  right  to  dismiss  their  own  minister,  whenever  they  judge  he  has 
forfeited  his  ministerial  character.  As  the  church  have  a  right  to 
choose  and  ordain  their  own  minister,  so  they  must  have,  of 
course,  a  right  to  dismiss  him  for  what  they  deem  good  reasons. 
Those  who  have  a  right  to  put  into  office,  have  a  right  to  put  out 
of  office. — Emmons:  Platform  Eccl.  Govt.,  Inference  I. 

Were  the  New  Testament  Deacons  Candidates  for  the 
Ministry?  From  the  fact  that  Stephen  and  PhiHp  became 
evangelists,  it  has  sometimes  been  inferred  that  the  New 
Testament  diaconate  was  a  condition  of  candidacy  for  the 
ministry.  The  inference  is  not  justified.  That  some  dea- 
cons entered  the  ministry  was  to  have  been  expected,  and 
it  is  to  be  hoped  that  always  there  will  be  deacons  who 
preach,  either  as  ministers  or  as  laymen ;  but  the  office  of  a 
deacon  is  not  in  itself  a  step  toward  the  ministry. 

Some  further  support  to  the  idea  has  been  found  in  I 
Timothy  3:8;  but  this  inference  is  not  warranted,  as  is 
conceded  by  scholars  even  in  the  communions  where  the 
diaconate  is  regarded  as  a  lower  order  of  the  ministry. 

Promotion  of  Deacons.  The  last  verse,  I  Tim.  3:  13,  has  been 
often  understood  to  say  that  excellent  discharge  of  the  duties  of 
a  deacon  would  rightly  entitle  him  to  promotion  to  a  higher  kind 
of  work,  doubtless  that  of  an  elder.  "Standing"  imdeniably  means 
a  step,  and  so  might  easily  be  used  for  a  grade  of  dignity  or  func- 
tion. But  the  rest  of  the  verse  renders  this  interpretation  unnat- 
ural; and  the  true  sense  doubtless  is  that  deacons  by  excellent  dis- 
charge of  their  duties  may  win  for  themselves  an  excellent  vantage 
ground,  a  standing  a  little  as  it  were  above  the  common  level, 
enabling  them  to  exercise  an  influence  and  moral  authority  to 
which  their  work  as  such  could  not  entitle  them. — Hort:  The  Chris- 
tian Ecclesia,  pp.  201-202. 


XI.     RELIGIOUS    CORPORATIONS 

What  Is  a  Religious  Corporation?  A  religious  corpora- 
tion is  a  society,  not  for  pecuniary  profit,  organized  for 
religious  purposes  and  incorporated  by  law.  Religious  cor- 
porations dififer  in  their  legal  status  in  the  several  states 
of  the  Union.  In  general,  however,  the  laws  favor  their 
organization,  and  their  legal  status  is  simple.  In  some 
states  the  life  of  any  one  corporation  is  limited  to  a  term 
of  years.  In  some  there  is  a  limitation  of  the  amount  of 
property  which  any  one  corporation  can  hold.  There  is 
limitation  also  upon  the  forms  in  which  such  property  may 
be  held.  As  a  general  principle  of  law  perpetuities  are  not 
regarded  with  favor.  The  essential  differences  between  a 
corporation  and  an  individual  are:  first,  the  impersonality 
of  the  corporation.  It  is  not  an  individual,  but  an  artificial 
person.  As  such  it  is  a  creature  of  the  law  and  strictly 
speaking  has  no  rights  which  the  law  is  bound  to  respect. 
Certain  rights  which  belong  to  individuals  do  not  apply  to 
corporations.  The  second  characteristic  of  a  corporation 
is  its  continuity.  Men  die,  and  their  estates  and  other 
interests  pass  to  other  hands,  but  corporations  may  go  on 
forever.  The  laws  of  the  Middle  Ages  recognized  grave 
dangers  as  inherent  in  such  a  system,  and  the  English  laws 
of  mortmain  were  intended  as  a  check  upon  the  growth  of 
corporate  bodies,  many  of  which  were  religious  in  charac- 
ter. At  the  present  time  the  growth  of  large  commercial 
corporations  is  seen  to  involve  possibilities  of  national 
peril.  Past  history  has  afforded  illustrations  of  the  peril 
which  may,  and  sometimes  does,  inhere  in  religious  corpo- 
rations. For  reasons  that  in  general  have  been  good,  the 
laws  of  various  states  and  countries  have  imposed  certain 
restrictions  upon  religious  corporations.  Some  of  these 
actions  have  been  arbitrary,  and  not  all  of  them  have  been 
just,  but  there  has  been  a  reason  for  some  even  of  the  more 
arbitrary  acts. 


182         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

There  is  another  characteristic  of  the  religious  corpora- 
tion which  should  be  noted.  While  it  can  sue  and  be  sued 
in  law,  its  appearance  in  court  must  be  through  a  repre- 
sentative. If  a  secular  corporation  is  sued  it  must  answer 
by  attorney;  the  whole  body  of  stockholders  presumably 
cannot  be  present,  and  if  they  could  be  present  they  would 
not  be  permitted  to  answer  individually.  If  a  church  sues, 
or  is  sued,  it  must  appear  by  attorney.  It  must  authorize 
someone  to  speak  for  it  with  a  single  vote. 

The  church  corporation,  the  body  which  administers 
the  secular  affairs  of  the  church,  is  amenable  to  the  courts 
more  directly  than  the  church  as  a  spiritual  organization; 
with  which,  acting  within  its  own  powers,  and  on  matters 
wholly  spiritual,  the  secular  courts  have  no  legitimate  con- 
cern. 

What  Is  a  Parish?  A  parish  is  a  corporate  body  related 
to  the  local  church,  and  organized  for  its  support  and  the 
transaction  of  its  secular  business.  Originally  the  parish 
was  a  territorial  designation.  It  was  ordinarily  coterminus 
with  the  town  or  township.  In  Massachusetts  it  was  neces- 
sary that  a  man  be  a  citizen  of  the  parish  in  order  to  be  a 
bona  fide  resident  of  the  state.  In  its  inception  the  parish 
goes  back  to  a  remote  period.  The  parish  is  no  longer 
territorial,  but  is  composed  of  individuals,  being  essentially 
what  was  formerly  known  as  "poll-parish,"  and  is  thus 
virtually  the  same  as  an  ecclesiastical  society. 

What  Is  a  Religious  Society?  As  it  is  recognized  by  the  laws 
of  Massachusetts,  a  religious  society  is  a  body  of  persons  asso- 
ciated together  for  certain  purposes,  supposedly  religious,  with  a 
code  of  by-laws  governing  the  admission  of  members,  the  election 
of  officers,  and  the  method  of  calling  legal  meetings.  Before  1869 
it  was  a  body  of  men  only.  It  is  supposed  to  employ  a  minister, 
or  "Teacher  of  Morality  and  Religion,"  and  to  maintain  public 
services  of  preaching  and  worship,  though  the  law  does  not  make 
this  obligatory.  It  has  the  power  of  contracting  with  a  minister 
for  his  "support  and  maintenance,"  and  to  determine  his  tenure 
of  office.  The  duties  and  responsibilities  of  its  officers  are  defined 
by  the  laws  of  the  commonwealth.  The  Statutes  are  its  constitu- 
tion. It  is  empowered  to  hold  a  limited  amount  of  property  for 
special  purposes,  which  it  holds  in  fact  and  in  law  as  a  trustee  for 
the  benefit  of  the  community  where  it  is  located.     If  it  disbands, 


RELIGIOUS    CORPORATIONS 183 

the  Supreme  Judicial  Court  determines  what  shall  be  done  with  the 
property.    In  law,  it  is  a  "charity." 

A  church  is  a  different  affair.  It  is  a  body  of  men  and  women, 
and  sometimes  children,  associated  together  under  a  covenant,  or 
bond  of  agreement,  for  the  public  worship  of  God,  for  mutual  dis- 
cipline and  helpfulness,  and  for  the  advancement  of  the  religious 
life  of  the  community.  It  usually  expresses  its  sense  of  fellowship 
by  symbols.  Sometimes  it  has  a  creed  setting  forth  the  doctrines 
and  principles  that  are  taken  to  be  its  working  hypothesis.  Its 
aims  are  supposed  to  be  spiritual  as  distinguished  from  material. 

If  it  is  incorporated  and  performs  the  functions  stated  above,  it 
is  recognized  by  the  law  as  a  "religious  society"  in  the  meaning  of 
the  Statutes.  Otherwise  it  has  never  been  recognized  by  the  law 
as  a  religious  society  having  any  powers  or  rights,  or  even  as  hav- 
ing any  existence  independently  of  some  religious  society  or  con- 
gregation with  which  it  is  connected.  Legally,  it  is  a  veritable 
"Church  Invisible." 

When  the  parish  first  assumed  importance  as  a  corporation  dis- 
tinct from  the  town  is  a  matter  very  difficult  to  determine.  But  the 
date  is  not  essential.  Practically  the  line  was  drawn  when,  for  con- 
venience of  attending  public  worship,  a  town  was  divided  into  dis- 
tricts or  precincts,  and  prudential  men,  assessors  and  collectors 
were  appointed  to  administer  the  parochial  affairs  of  the  districts 
so  set  off.  Chief  Justice  Parsons  as  early  as  1809  says:  "When  no 
part  of  a  town  is  included  in,  or  constitutes  a  parish,  the  duties  of 
a  parish  are  required  of  the  town."  "Every  town  is  considered  to 
be  a  parish  until  a  separate  parish  be  formed  in  it:  then  the  inhabi- 
tants and  territory  not  included  in  the  separate  parish  form  the  first 
parish."  Parishes  and  towns  are  distinct  corporations.  They  must 
subsist  together  and  act  apart. 

Chief  Justice  Parker  says:  "It  was  the  usage  of  all  our  towns 
anciently,  before  they  became  divided  into  parishes,  to  transact 
their  parochial  concerns  at  town  meetings,  making  no  difference  in 
the  forms  of  their  proceedings  when  acting  upon  matters  of  mere 
municipal  or  political  concern."  From  this  we  may  draw  the  infer- 
ence that  the  early  settlers  brought  with  them  the  old  English  idea 
of  the  parish,  but  made  no  legal  distinction  between  town  and  par- 
ish until  such  became  necessary  for  the  preservation  of  property 
rights. 

In  the  enactments  of  the  General  Court,  we  find  the  duties  of 
parishes  first  set  forth  in  a  Province  law  of  1702.  By  this  act,  if 
the  selectmen  and  constables  neglect  their  parochial  duties  the 
court  of  general  sessions  for  the  county,  after  heavily  fining  them, 
is  directed  and  empowered  to  appoint  three  or  more  sufficient  free- 
holders within  the  same  county  to  assess  and  apportion  the  sum 
agreed  upon  for  the  support  of  the  ministry,  the  same  as  taxes  are 
assessed  and  collected  by  the  towns,  and  pay  the  same  to  the  min- 
ister or  ministers.  It  also  gives  to  inhabitants  of  a  district  or  pre- 
cinct the  power  to  appoint  parish  officers,  with  the  same  parochial 
powers  as  the  officers  of  a  town. 

During  this  period  a  large  number  of  religious  societies  or  par- 
ishes were  incorporated  within  the  territory  of  towns,  the  inhabi- 


184         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

tants  of  the  town  freely  choosing  the  parish  to  which  their  paro- 
chial tax  should  be  paid. 

Quakers  and  Baptists  were  excused  from  paying  parish  taxes  on 
account  of  conscience,  in  1728.  Episcopalians  were  refused  relief  if 
they  lived  more  than  five  miles  from  an  Episcopal  church,  because 
they  had  no  conscientious  scruples  about  attending  a  parish  church. 

In  religious  affairs,  as  in  political,  the  period  was  one  of  general 
ferment.  Liberalism  was  growing,  both  in  matters  of  faith  and  in 
the  spirit  of  individual  liberty.  While  no  radical  changes  in  legis- 
lation concerning  religious  affairs  are  noticeable,  the  trend  of 
thought  and  feeling  in  the  latter  years  of  the  period  was  decidedly 
in  the  direction  of  making  the  support  of  the  ministry  voluntary  in 
every  respect. 

Finally,  the  movement  culminated  in  the  Eleventh  Amendment 
\o  the  Constitution,  which  made  a  complete  separation  between  the 
parish  and  the  town.  It  took  away  from  the  towns  the  right  to 
choose  ministers,  and  gave  it  to  the  several  religious  societies.  It 
also  gave  the  societies  the  right  to  raise  money  for  building,  for 
support,  and  the  power  to  make  contracts,  and  secured  to  members 
their  rights. 

The  supporting  law  of  1834  declared  the  various  existing  reli- 
gious societies  to  be  bodies  corporate,  for  a  purpose,  with  the  same 
rights  that  towns  acting  in  parochial  capacities  had  heretofore  exer- 
cised, and  confirmed  the  privileges  of  churches  connected  with 
them. 

The  marked  difference  is,  that  while,  up  to  this  time,  all  inhabi- 
tants who  had  not  been  excused  by  law  and  who  had  not  desig- 
nated the  parish  to  which  they  chose  to  be  attached,  had  been  taken 
to  be  members  of  the  first  parish,  and  no  inhabitant  could  be  ex- 
cluded from  the  parish  of  his  choice,  now  and  henceforth  parishes 
were  to  be  composed  of  men  who  chose  to  be  members  and  who 
were  admitted  by  vote  of  the  members  already  composing  the 
parish.  The  parishes  thus  became  close  corporations.  The  original 
corporate  or  "charter"  members  were  those  inhabitants  who  were 
members  of  the  parish  before  the  separation. 

Parishes  now  adopted  by-laws  governing  the  admission  of  mem- 
bers. The  parish,  like  the  church,  became  a  voluntary  organiza- 
tion, and,  like  the  church,  self-perpetuating.  All  the  parochial 
property  of  the  town,  meeting  house,  lands,  donations,  burial 
grounds,  now  vested  in  the  First  Parish,  or  in  the  parish  that  suc- 
ceeded to  the  parochial  rights  of  a  territorial  precinct  or  district. 

Henceforth,  the  important  matter  of  calling  a  minister,  as  it 
lay  between  parish  and  church,  became  wholly  a  matter  of  usage, 
though  the  power  to  make  contracts  remained  with  the  parish. 

The  parish  had  evolved  from  a  territorial  affair  to  a  personal 
affair.  In  relation  to  the  public,  great  changes  had  taken  place. 
Whereas  in  the  Colonial  period  the  church  was  the  body  of  supreme 
social  and  religious  importance,  now  the  parish,  by  reason  of  its 
authority  over  the  sources  of  supply,  became  the  body  of  chief 
importance.  No  man  need  belong  to  a  parish  or  to  a  church.  But 
tradition,  conventionalities,  social  standing,  family  inheritances  and 
respect  compelled  men  who  would  stand  well  in  the  community  to 


RELIGIOUS    CORPORATIONS  185 

identify  themselves  with  a  religious  society.  The  parish,  unlike  the 
church,  assumed  no  jurisdiction  over  the  conscience  or  beliefs  of 
its  members  and  had  no  means  of  discipline. — /.  N.  Pardee:  The 
Church  and  Parish  in  Massachusetts,  pp.  8-24. 

What  Is  an  Ecclesiastical  Society?  An  ecclesiastical 
society  is  a  corporate  body,  usually  in  affiliation  with  a 
local  church,  and  entrusted  with  the  care  of  its  property 
in  part  or  in  whole,  and  with  the  management  of  such  of 
its  secular  affairs  as  its  charter  or  constitution  or  its  com- 
pact with  the  church  accord  to  it.  In  general  it  may  be 
stated  that  the  ecclesiastical  society  succeeds  to  the  duties 
formerly  devolving  upon  the  parish. 

May  a  Society  Exist  Without  a  Church?  A  society 
may  exist  without  a  church.  The  Blue  Hill  Ecclesiastical 
Society,  of  Readville,  Mass.,  is  an  example.  For  many 
years  it  has  existed  and  owned  a  place  of  worship,  its  mem- 
bers holding  their  church  relations  in  various  churches, 
most  of  them  in  the  neighboring  town  of  Hyde  Park.  For 
the  purpose,  however,  of  maintaining  worship  in  the  neigh- 
borhood where  these  people  resided,  an  ecclesiastical  society 
is  established  and  maintained,  and  is  not  in  affiliation  with 
any  local  church. 

May  a  Local  Church  Exist  Without  a  Society?  A  local 
church  may  exist  without  a  society,  and  usually  is  better 
off  without  one.  The  famous  Dedham  case  of  1820  Baker 
vs.  Fales,  16  Mass.  488)  decided  that  a  Congregational 
church  cannot  exist  apart  from  a  society.  This,  however, 
was  very  doubtful  law  even  at  that  time,  and  is  far  from 
being  good  law  now. 

What  Arc  the  Reasons  for  a  Society?  The  reasons 
which  have  been  given  in  favor  of  an  ecclesiastical  society 
are  that  it  permits  the  vested  interests  of  the  church  to  be 
cared  for  by  a  selected  group  of  responsible  men.  A  church 
includes  in  its  membership  women  and  young  children, 
many  of  whom  are  supposed  to  have  little  business  experi- 
ence. A  society  may  limit  its  membership  to  those  who 
are  supposed  to  have  mature  business  judgment,  and  can 
include  some  men  who,  while  not  members  of  the  church, 


186         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

still  are  interested  in  its  welfare,  who  are  contributors  to 
its  support,  and  whose  business  judgment  is  likely  to  be 
of  value.  The  advantages  of  the  system,  however,  do  not 
equal  its  disadvantages.  It  is  a  system  which  sometimes 
works  well,  but  it  has  been  fruitful  of  friction,  and  it  is 
rather  surprising  that  this  friction  has  not  been  more  rather 
than  less.  Dr.  Dexter,  in  his  Congregational  Manual,  ear- 
nestly advised  against  it. 

The  Unitarians,  who  inherited  the  parish  system  from 
us  and  in  the  beginning  profited  by  it  in  the  famous  Ded- 
ham  decision  of  1820,  have  found  it  an  incumbrance  im 
many  cases.  The  American  Unitarian  Association  has 
issued  an  interesting  booklet,  entitled  "The  Parish  and 
Church  in  Massachusetts,"  by  Rev.  Joseph  N.  Pardee, 
which  is  furnished  free  and  which  advises  churches  as  to 
methods  of  eliminating  the  parish  or  society. 

Joint  Church  and  Parish  System.  Could  the  subject  now  be 
arranged  in  view  of  the  experience  of  the  past,  and  in  disregard 
of  all  other  considerations,  I  can  hardly  conceive  it  possible  that 
any  intelligent  and  hearty  Congregationalist  would  advocate  the 
common  New  England  joint  church  and  parish  system  as  ab- 
stractly best  for  the  church,  or  for  the  interests  of  vital  godliness 
in  the  land.  Such  being  the  fact,  it  would  seem  to  be  an  easy 
inference  that  the  true  policy  to  be  pursued  is  to  discontinue  the 
ecclesiastical  society  altogether,  wherever  it  prove  to  be  legally 
possible  without  detriment  to  the  safe  administration  of  the  pecun- 
iary interests  of  the  church;  and  in  all  cases  where  a  society  be 
still  on  the  whole  advisable,  to  mitigate  its  evils  by  putting  it  as 
closely  as  possible  under  church  control,  or  at  least  augmenting 
as  largely  as  may  be  church  influence  within  it. 

In  all  cases  where  the  question  becomes  a  practical  one,  then 
it  is  to  be  recommended  that  the  advice  of  a  Christian  lawyer 
familiar  with  the  local  laws  be  taken,  and  that  where,  in  his  judg- 
ment, a  society  be  indispensable,  if  it  be  possible,  make  it  one  of 
its  fundamental  laws  that  membership  in  it  be  limited  to  members 
of  the  church. — Dexter:  Handbook,  pp.  95-96. 

What  Are  the  Powers  and  Limitations  of  the  Society? 

Where  a  society  exists,  it  is  a  holding  corporation,  manag- 
ing the  business  interests  of  the  church.  It  owns  the  church 
property,  subject  to  the  use  of  the  church,  but  can  have  no 
power  to  alienate  the  property  or  to  use  it  for  purposes 
contrary  to  the  welfare  of  the  church.     It  can,  however, 


RELIGIOUS   CORPORATIONS  187 

refuse  to  provide  means  for  the  repair  of  the  building  or 
for  the  support  of  its  minister,  and  this  it  sometimes  has 
been  known  to  do,  though  happily  not  frequently. 

Both  church  and  society  must  concur  in  the  call  of  a 
pastor.  The  action  must  originate  with  the  church,  the 
society  having  no  power  to  begin  proceedings  looking  to- 
ward the  securing  of  the  minister.  The  church  having 
issued  an  invitation  to  a  pastor,  first  notifies  the  society  of 
its  proposed  call,  and  the  society  considers  whether  it  will 
concur  in  the  call  and  provide  for  the  support  of  the  min- 
ister. The  society  has  sole  power  to  fix  the  compensation 
of  the  pastor,  and  is  the  only  body  that  can  be  sued.  The 
church  alone  is  responsible  for  the  conduct  of  the  pastor, 
who  is  not  commonly  a  member  of  the  society,  but  should 
be  a  member  of  the  church.  Should  the  minister  displease 
the  society,  he  cannot  be  expelled  by  that  body  without  the 
consent  of  the  church.  The  society  can,  however,  refuse 
to  support  him.  If  he  is  installed  by  council  or  has  a  con- 
tract for  a  definite  period,  his  salary  can  be  collected  from 
the  society  by  civil  process.  Should  the  church  desire  to 
terminate  the  pastorate,  the  concurrence  of  the  society 
must  be  secured,  and  if  the  minister  is  installed  by  council 
both  church  and  society  must  join  in  the  call. 

What  Are  the  Relations  of  Church  and  Society?  The 
relations  of  church  and  society  are  various,  and  dependent 
upon  the  compact  existing  between  them.  In  some  of  the 
older  churches  the  parish  has  far  too  great  power.  Wher- 
ever church  and  society,  or  parish,  exist  together,  the 
church  should  be  made  superior  in  every  spiritual  interest. 
In  no  case  should  the  parish  usurp  authority  over  the 
church,  or  use  its  power  over  the  purse  of  the  congregation 
to  force  an  action  detrimental  to  the  spiritual  interests  of 
the  church.  The  following  rules  from  Dexter's  Handbook 
are  usual  in  the  relations  of  church  and  society: 

Form  of  Rules  for  Joint  Action  of  the Congregational 

Church  and  Congregational  Society 

I. 

Whenever   the   church   and   society   shall   be  without  a   settled 


188         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

pastor  and  a  new  one  is  to  be  obtained,  a  joint  committee  of  the 
church  and  society,  consisting  of  seven  persons,  of  whom  four 
shall  be  chosen  by  the  church  and  three  by  the  society,  shall  pro- 
vide a  supply  for  the  pulpit,  and  take  all  necessary  measures  to 
that  end.  The  church  shall  have  the  right,  in  all  cases,  to  select  a 
pastor  (or  colleague  pastor,  when  it  may  be  deemed  expedient  by 
the  church  and  society  to  settle  a  colleague  pastor),  to  be  proposed 
to  the  society  for  its  concurrence.  If  said  society  shall  concur 
with  the  church  in  said  selection,  a  call  shall  be  given  by  the 
church  and  society  jointly,  to  the  person  selected;  but  if  the  so- 
ciety do  not  concur  in  the  selection,  the  church  shall  select  again, 
and  so  again,  from  time  to  time,  until  the  church  and  society  shall 
agree  in  a  choice,  and  when  so  agreed,  a  call  shall  be  given  to  the 
person  so  chosen,  by  the  church  and  society  as  stated  above;  that 
is,  jointly.  It  is  herein  agreed  that  no  committee  of  supply  of  the 
pulpit  shall  ever  have  the  power  to  contract  with  any  minister  to 
occupy  the  pulpit  as  "stated  supply"  or  "acting  pastor" — and  no 
minister  shall  so  occupy  it — for  a  period  longer  than  three  months, 
without  special  instruction  to  that  effect  by  both  church  and  so- 
ciety at  meetings  legally  called  for  that  purpose. 
II. 

The  amount  of  salary  to  be  given  to  the  pastor  shall  be  fixed  by 
the  society. 

III. 

Temporary  supply  of  the  pulpit,  during  the  absence  or  sickness 
of  the  pastor,  shall  be  provided  by  the  pastor  and  deacons  of  the 
church,  and  the  bills  of  necessary  expenses  incurred  for  that  pur- 
pose shall  be  submitted  to  the  prudential  committee  of  the  society, 
and,  when  approved  by  them,  shall  be  paid  by  the  treasurer.  By 
the  word  "church,"  hereinbefore  used,  is  meant  all  (male)  members 
of  the  church  in  good  and  regular  standing,  of  the  age  of  twenty- 
one  years  and  upwards. 

IV. 

A  committee  to  regulate  the  matter  of  singing,  and  of  church 
music,  shall  be  appointed  jointly  by  the  church  and  society  (annu- 
ally), three  persons  by  the  former,  and  two  by  the  latter. 
V. 

No  alteration  shall  be  made  in  these  rules,  on  the  part  of  either 
church  or  society,  unless  the  same  be  agreed  to  by  two-thirds  of 
the  members  of  each,  present  at  legal  meetings,  seasonable  notice 
of  such  proposed  alteration  having  been  previously  given. — Dexter: 
Handbook,  pp.  186-187. 

In  the  interpretation  of  the  foregoing  or  any  other  rules 
governing  the  relations  of  church  and  society,  or  parish,  it 
should  steadily  be  kept  in  mind  that  the  parish,  or  society, 
exists  solely  by  reason  of  a  condition  so  different  from  that 
which  now  obtains  that  practically  none  of  the  new  Con- 
gregational churches  are  organizing  after  this  fashion.  The 
whole  trend  of  our  modern  Congregational  life  is  to  empha- 


RELIGIOUS   CORPORATIONS 189 

size  the  right  of  the  religious  body  to  assume  direct  cor- 
porate powers. 

Should  the  Minister  Attend  Meetings  of  the  Society? 
Unless  the  minister  is  a  member  of  the  society  he  has  no 
technical  right  to  be  present  at  its  meetings,  except  by 
invitation.  It  is  entirely  becoming,  however,  that  he  should 
be  invited  to  attend  and  that  his  suggestions  should  be 
heard  with  courtesy.  Where  the  pastor  does  not  attend 
the  meetings  of  the  society,  it  would  be  becoming  for  the 
Board  of  Trustees  in  advance  of  any  meeting  of  the  society 
to  have  a  conference  with  the  pastor  and  to  present  his 
views.  Where  the  pastor  is  not  a  member  of  the  society, 
his  relation  to  the  body  is  somewhat  analogous  to  that  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States  in  his  relations  to  Con- 
gress, and  a  message  from  the  pastor  should  always  receive 
courteous  attention. 

How  May  a  Church  Free  Itself  from  Relations  vnth  a 
Society?  Many  churches  organized  in  affiliation  with  soci- 
eties in  days  when  the  laws  for  the  incorporation  of 
churches  were  less  favorable  than  now,  desire  to  be  rid  of 
an  arrangement  for  which  no  good  reason  longer  exists. 
The  author  has  received  inquiries  from  scores,  probably 
hundreds,  of  churches,  asking  how  they  may  dispense  with 
a  society.  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  church  and  the 
society  are  separate  institutions.  A  church  cannot  abolish 
a  society  against  the  society's  will,  nor  can  it  abrogate  a 
joint  agreement  excepting  by  mutual  consent.  It  is  not 
usually  wise  for  a  church  to  attempt  to  abolish  a  society 
unless  at  least  two-thirds  of  the  members  of  the  society 
agree  that  it  is  desirable.  If  the  church  feels  that  the 
society  is  no  longer  of  use,  it  should  first  ascertain  whether 
the  society  concurs  in  the  opinion ;  if  it  does,  the  plan  is  a 
simple  one.  A  good  Christian  lawyer  should  ordinarily  be 
consulted,  but  where  there  are  no  complications  the  follow- 
ing directions  will  suffice: 

First,  the  church  itself  should  become  incorporated. 
Being  incorporated,   it  should   express  to  the  society  its 


190         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

willingness  to  receive  any  property  which  the  society  desires 

to  transfer  to  the  church.     It  should  then  wait  the  action 

of  the  society. 

For  the  incorporation  of  a  church  see  the  author's  Manual, 
pp.  93-95. 

Secondly,  the  society  should  hold  a  regularly  called 
meeting,  setting  forth  as  the  business  of  the  meeting  the 
proposed  transfer  of  its  property,  both  real  and  personal, 
to  the  incorporated  church.  Whether  this  action  requires 
a  majority  or  two-thirds  vote  will  depend  upon  the  rules 
of  the  society,  but  as  a  matter  of  expediency  and  of 
brotherly  spirit  it  should  seldom,  if  ever,  be  undertaken 
with  less  than  a  two-thirds  vote. 

Thirdly,  the  society  can  then  make  a  deed  of  all  its  real 
estate  to  the  incorporated  church,  and  also  a  bill  of  sale  of 
all  its  personal  property. 

Fourthly,  the  society  may  then  disband,  and  ordinarily 
should  do  so.  Occasionally  it  will  be  found  an  advantage 
to  continue  the  corporate  existence  of  the  society.  The 
author  has  known  of  one  or  two  cases  where  the  vested 
interests  appeared  to  make  this  advisable.  In  such  a  case 
the  society  continues  a  mere  nominal  existence  without 
property  rights  or  any  measurable  control  of  the  affairs  of 
the  church.  Manifestly  this  condition  is  not  usually  desir- 
able to  perpetuate,  and  it  is  better  that  the  society  disband 
in  an  orderly  and  dignified  manner,  and  turn  over  its  books 
to  the  church  than  that  it  should  die  a  lingering  death  and 
finally  disappear. 

Fifthly,  the  church  should  hold  a  meeting,  which  ordi- 
narily may  occur  at  the  same  time  and  place,  in  which  its 
officers  receive  the  papers  transferred  by  the  society  and 
formally  accept  the  trust  reposed  in  the  church  and  transact 
any  necessary  business.  If  the  trustees  have  hitherto  been 
officers  of  the  society  and  the  church  has  had  no  trustees, 
its  constitution  will  have  been  amended  in  its  incorporation 
so  that  these  officers  shall  now  be  chosen  by  the  church. 
They  may  have  been  elected  previously.    It  is  not  necessary 


RELIGIOUS    CORPORATIONS 191 

to  wait  for  the  formal  transfer  of  the  property  before  offi- 
cers are  chosen  to  receive  it.  Whatever  business  remains 
for  the  church  to  perform  after  the  society  has  completed 
its  work,  should  be  done  in  a  careful  manner,  so  as  to 
insure  all  vested  rights. 

The  church  has  one  remaining  duty  which  it  should 
consider  with  great  care.  Often  it  will  be  found  that  a 
few  men  who  have  hitherto  been  members  of  the  society 
and  active  in  its  affairs  are  not  members  of  the  church. 
Sometimes  these  are  conscientious  and  faithful  men  who 
feel  keenly  the  fact  that  they  can  no  longer  express  in  the 
same  manner  as  hitherto  their  interest  in  the  welfare  of 
the  church.  Great  consideration  should  be  shown  these 
men.  If  they  are  men  of  worthy  life,  possessing  the  essen- 
tials of  a  Christian  faith,  the  church  can  well  afford  to 
waive  some  of  its  usual  forms  and  conditions  in  order  to 
make  it  easy  for  them  to  become  members  of  the  church. 
In  some  cases  known  to  the  author,  the  dissolution  of  the 
society  has  proved  the  occasion  for  the  showing  of  the  very 
finest  Christian  qualities  on  the  part  of  the  members  of  the 
society  and  has  resulted  in  their  uniting  with  the  church 
under  very  happy  conditions. 


XII.    AFFILIATED  ORGANIZATIONS 

What  Are  Affiliated  Organizations?  The  development 
of  religious  work  in  modern  times  has  called  into  existence 
a  wide  variety  of  agencies  in  more  or  less  close  affiliation 
with  local  churches  or  groups  of  churches.  Among  these 
are  Sunday  schools,  Christian  Endeavor  societies,  Young 
Women's  and  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations,  Bible 
societies.  Brotherhoods,  and  other  organizations  or  benevo- 
lent activities.  No  one  plan  can  be  said  to  govern  these 
different  organizations.  They  may  be  so  planned  as  to  be 
under  the  direct  control  of  a  local  church;  they  may  be 
organically  independent  but  with  all  officers  chosen  from 
the  membership  of  the  local  church  and  with  the  pastor 
so  related  to  the  organization  as  to  exert  a  practical  con- 
trol. They  may  be  entirely  independent,  yet  working  in 
close  sympathy  with  the  church  as  an  organization.  The 
wide  diversity  of  these  organizations,  both  in  respect  of 
their  forms  of  government  and  the  purposes  for  which  they 
are  organized,  renders  generalization  difficult.  Manifestly, 
any  organization  using  the  church  property  and  the  church 
name  should  be  so  far  answerable  to  the  church  as  definitely 
to  promote  the  welfare  of  the  church  and  advance  some  one 
of  the  ends  for  which  it  exists.  It  is  inherently  desirable 
that  every  such  organization  should  be  related  to  the  organic 
life  and  structure  of  the  church. 

Affiliated  Organizations.  Most  of  our  churches  have  young 
people's  societies,  missionary  societies,  men's  clubs  and  women's 
societies  of  various  kinds.  The  more  these  can  be  unified  with  the 
church  organization  the  better.  Of  course  if  they  elect  their  offi- 
cers independently  of  it,  they  cannot  be  officially  represented  in 
its  counsels;  but  frequent  meetings  of  all  who  lead  in  the  spiritual 
or  charitable  activities  of  the  congregation  are  desirable  and  tend 
to  unity  in  the  whole  body.  In  this  way  conflicting  appointments 
and,  what  is  worse,  conflicting  plans  are  avoided.  The  contribu- 
tions of  these  various  sub-organizations  should  be  sent  to  their 
various  objects  through  the  treasurer  of  the  church,  so  that  they 
may  be  received  and  recorded  as  from  its  several  departments. — 
Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  pp.  58-59. 


AFFILIATED  ORGANIZATIONS 193 

Liberty  of  Organization.  In  the  matter  of  Sunday  schools, 
prayer  meetings,  sewing  circles  and  other  social  meetings,  and  the 
general  administration  of  religious  affairs.  Congregational  churches 
differ  in  no  way  from  other  active  Christians;  and  it  is  their  funda- 
mental principle  that  their  polity  has  congenial  and  welcome  place 
for  every  wise  method  of  working  for  the  glory  of  God,  and  the 
temporal  and  eternal  good  of  men,  which  sanctified  ingenuity  can 
devise,  and  Christian  common  sense  indorse. — Dexter:  Handbook, 
p.  88. 

What  Is  a  Sunday  School?  A  Sunday  school  is  an 
organization  for  Bible  instruction,  and  may  exist  either 
independently  or  under  the  control  of  a  church.  Where  a 
Sunday  school  exists  in  connection  with  a  church,  it  should 
not  be  considered  an  independent  organization.  Its  super- 
intendent should  be  elected  by  the  church  on  nomination 
of  the  teachers  of  the  Sunday  school.  The  church  should 
appropriate  money  for  the  support  of  the  school,  and  the 
school  should  make  its  offering  for  the  support  of  the 
church.  Great  care  should  be  taken,  both  on  the  part  of 
the  church  and  of  the  Sunday  school,  to  prevent  any  im- 
pression that  the  Sunday  school  is  an  organization  outside 
of  the  church. 

In  theory  the  Sunday  school  should  be  an  organic  part 
of  the  church  organization.  In  a  majority  of  churches  prob- 
ably the  Sunday  school  exists  as  an  independent  body,  elect- 
ing its  own  officers  and  raising  the  money  for  its  own  sup- 
port, except  for  its  free  use  of  the  church  building. 

Sunday  School  a  Part  of  the  Church.  The  Sunday  school 
should  be  recognized  fully  as  part  of  the  church  and  by  no  means 
an  unimportant  part  of  it.  It  is  an  organization  by  itself,  so  far 
as  it  has  officers  of  its  own,  but  the  superintendent  should  always 
be  elected  as  one  of  the  officers  of  the  church  and  should  be  an 
ex-officio  member  of  the  standing  committee,  so  that  there  may 
be  the  closest  relations  between  the  Sunday  school  and  the  other 
parts  of  the  church  organization.  He  should  select  the  teachers 
so  far  as  possible  from  the  members  of  the  church,  and  with  them 
should  appoint  the  other  officers  of  the  school,  who  with  him 
should  form  a  Sunday  school  committee,  to  serve  the  Sunday 
school  in  a  way  similar  to  that  in  which  the  church  committee 
serves  the  church.  The  current  expenses  of  the  Sunday  school,  as 
being  an  essential  part  of  the  organization,  should  be  met  from 
the  general  treasury  of  the  church. — Boynton:  Congregational  Way, 
p.  58. 

What  Is  the  Pastor's  Place  in  the  Sunday  School?    The 


194         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

pastor  is  also  the  teacher  of  the  church,  and  therefore  is  the 
first  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school.  He  should  enter  into 
consultation  with  the  officers  of  the  Sunday  school  con- 
cerning courses  of  study  and  methods  of  instruction.  His 
judgment  should  be  given  weight,  and  in  all  ordinary  cases 
his  wishes  should  be  scrupulously  regarded ;  but  every  pas- 
tor should  be  careful  not  to  enforce  his  leadership  in  un- 
seemly ways  or  underrate  the  prerogatives  of  his  subordi- 
nates. He  may  not  remove  a  teacher  from  the  Sunday 
school  by  an  arbitrary  act  of  his  own,  but  must  accomplish 
any  desired  change  through  the  superintendent.  No  teacher 
or  superintendent  should  abuse  this  liberty  by  exalting  his 
own  authority  above  that  of  the  pastor.  The  authority  of 
the  superintendent  is  a  delegated  authority,  and  must  be  so 
regarded.  Yet  as  the  captain  of  a  ship  has,  while  at  sea, 
an  authority  over  his  ship  which  even  the  owner,  if  a  pas- 
senger, must  respect,  and  may  put  the  owner  in  irons  as  a 
mutineer  if  he  transgresses  his  rightful  authority,  so  the 
pastor  must  remember  that  the  authority  of  each  of  his 
subordinates  must  be  commensurate  with  his  responsibility 
in  the  conduct  of  his  office. 

How  Shall  the  Church  Conduct  the  Work  of  Its 
Women?  The  organizations  of  the  women  of  the  church 
are  to  be  formed  and  maintained  subject  to  the  approval  of 
the  church.  The  women's  missionary  societies  should 
adopt  only  such  constitutions  and  rules  for  their  govern- 
ment as  are  approved  by  the  church.  In  some  churches  the 
women  maintain  separate  missionary  organizations  for  local 
work  and  for  missionary  work ;  and  the  missionary  organi- 
zations are  sometimes  divided  between  home  missionary 
and  foreign  missionary  societies.  The  present  tendency  is 
toward  simplicity  of  organization,  with  one  society  for  all 
the  women  of  the  church,  and  programs,  in  charge  of  sep- 
arate committees,  alternating  between  home  and  foreign 
missions,  and  with  work  so  distributed  as  to  give  adequate 
representation  to  the  various  activities  which  form  a  part 
of  the  society's  work. 


AFFILIATED  ORGANIZATIONS 195 

Women's  Societies.  An  excellent  way  of  bringing  the  various 
independent  societies  for  women  in  a  church  together  is  for  the 
women  to  have  a  general  organization  with  a  presiding  officer  and 
a  secretary,  of  which  all  these  various  societies  for  home  and  for- 
eign work  and  for  church  aid  shall  be  committees.  It  is  easy  thus 
to  bring  all  the  women  of  the  church  together  to  make  plans  for 
any  special  work  which  is  to  come  upon  them  all,  as  well  as  to 
unify  their  common  work  and  bring  its  various  departments  into 
touch.  The  same  simple  federation  of  all  the  organizations  for 
men  is  desirable,  and  may  be  accomplished  in  connection  with  a 
men's  club.  The  ideal  way  is  to  conduct  all  these  activities  as 
parts  of  the  one  church.  No  part  of  the  church  should  ever  act 
or  speak  as  though  it  were  independent  of  it,  or  of  the  results  of 
its  effort  as  though  it  were  not  part  of  the  church;  more  than  all 
it  should  never  be  named  in  contrast  to  the  church. — Boynton:  Con- 
gregational Way,  p.  59. 

What  Is  the  Office  of  a  Brotherhood?  A  brotherhood 
or  other  organization  of  the  men  of  the  church  may  be 
formed  for  co-operation  with  the  church  and  its  pastor  in 
promoting  any  or  all  of  the  objects  for  which  the  church 
is  established.  Its  constitution  should  be  approved  by  the 
church  either  formally  or  by  general  consent.  It  is  not 
always  or  even  often  necessary  that  the  precise  form  of 
each  detail  should  be  required  to  be  passed  upon  by  the 
church  in  its  official  capacity.  It  is  usually  enough  that  the 
wishes  of  the  church  and  pastor  are  known  and  complied 
with,  and  that  the  spirit  of  the  organization  be  that  of 
thorough  accord  and  in  harmony  with  the  spirit  of  the 
church. 

Do  These  Organizations  Exist  for  Their  Own  Ends?    It 

is  as  wrong  in  theory  as  in  practice  for  any  organization 
related  to  the  church  to  think  of  itself  as  existing  for  its 
own  sake  or  for  the  mere  pleasure  of  its  members.  Every 
such  organization  exists,  or  ought  to  exist,  as  an  instru- 
ment of  the  church  for  the  doing  of  some  part  of  its  work, 
and  it  should  cultivate  within  itself  a  constant  spirit  of 
loyalty  and  of  helpfulness. 

All  the  organizations  should  be  correlated  in  such  fash- 
ion that  they  shall  have  an  organic  relation  to  the  church 
and  that  their  work  shall  be  a  part  of  its  work. 

The  church  should  not  delegate  its  educational  work  to 


196  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

an  outside  organization  known  as  the  Sunday  school,  nor  its 
missionary  work  to  an  isolated  group  organized  as  the  mis- 
sionary society,  but  the  church  should  be  organized  for  an 
educational  program  and  missionary  propaganda  in  which 
various  organizations,  whether  men  or  women,  young  peo- 
ple or  others,  may  adequately  express  the  life  and  effort  of 
the  church  working  through  them. 

A  Constructive  Program.  A  comprehensive  program  for  train- 
ing our  own  church  people,  and  especially  the  rising  generation,  in 
Christian  life,  for  Christian  service  and  for  Christian  leadership, 
would  include  the  elements  sketched  below.  In  respect  to  litera- 
ture and  courses  of  study,  this  program  would  enter  around  the 
Sunday  School  curriculum. 

(1)  Every  church  should  have  a  school  graded  according  to 
the  best  possibilities  in  each  case,  with  lesson  materials  properly 
adapted  to  the  scheme  of  gradation. 

(2)  Training  in  missions  should  be  made  a  part  of  the  curricu- 
lum, with  courses  of  study  prepared  by  an  editor  or  secretary 
responsible  for  all  the  denominational  literature,  in  co-operation 
with  the  missionary  secretaries. 

(3)  Training  in  social  service  should  be  provided  for  through 
simple  courses  in  the  grades  and  more  extended  courses  in  adult 
classes,  with  actual  work  by  groups  and  individuals  under  com- 
petent direction  in  local  charities,  missionary  enterprises,  etc. 

(4)  There  should  be  courses  in  the  Sunday  School  or  in  pastors' 
training  classes  for  the  development  of  personal  religion,  and  the 
preparation  of  our  young  people  for  church  membership.  There 
are  churches  in  our  denomination  which  have  worked  out  excellent 
systems  which  might  well  serve  as  patterns  to  work  by. 

(5)  There  should  be  courses  in  the  essentials  of  church  history 
and  Congregational  polity,  with  thoughtful  provision  for  training  in 
church  administration. 

(6)  There  should  be  courses  for  parents,  intended  as  helps  to 
religious  nurture  in  the  home. 

(7)  There  should  be  courses  for  college  and  university  students, 
intended  to  foster  their  personal  religion  and  to  prepare  them  for 
religious  and  social  service  in  and  through  their  home  churches 
when  they  return;  such  courses  to  be  given  by  churches  located  in 
the  college  town  whenever  possible. 

(8)  The  plan  should  include  active  measures  for  bringing  the 
vocation  of  the  ministry  to  the  attention  of  our  best  young  men  in 
convincing  fashion. — Report  of  the  Commission  on  Moral  and  Re- 
ligious Education,  National  Council  of  1915. 


XIIL     CANDIDATES   FOR   THE   MINISTRY 

Who  Should  Be  Regarded  as  Candidates  for  the  Min- 
istry? Men  who  have  been  called  of  God  to  preach,  and 
who  have  accepted  that  call  as  they  have  understood  and 
received  it,  and  who  have  been  recognized  by  the  church 
through  some  authorized  body  as  apt  to  teach  and  of  good 
report,  but  who  are  not  yet  ready  for  full  ministerial  serv- 
ice, may  be  accredited  as  candidates  for  the  ministry  and 
given  licensure  or  approbation  to  preach. 

License  to  Preach.  Formerly,  individual  pastors  introduced 
whom  they  thought  proper  into  their  pulpits,  and  churches  made 
long  trial  of  the  gifts  and  fitness  of  candidates  for  the  pastoral 
office.  In  1705,  an  unsuccessful  effort  was  made  to  have  none  thus 
employed  as  candidates,  who  are  not  "recommended  by  a  testi- 
monial under  the  hands  of  some  association."  Wise  strenuously 
maintains  that  this  would  be  an  infringement  on  the  rights  of  the 
churches.  Cotton  Mather  regards  the  want  of  a  formal  licensing 
power  as  a  defect,  and  quotes  his  Proposals,  published  twenty 
years  before,  but  says:  "They  are  not  to  this  day  (1726)  fully 
executed." — Cummings:  Cong.  Diet..,  License. 

What  Is  a  Call  to  Preach?  The  call  to  preach  the  gospel 
is  to  be  discerned,  first  by  the  earnest  conviction  of  the 
candidate  himself,  and  secondly  by  the  testimony  of  the 
church  to  his  gifts  and  ability.  His  first  duty  is  obedience 
to  the  inward  voice;  his  second  is  to  assure  himself  that 
his  inward  call  is  what  he  believes  it  to  be  by  the  concur- 
rent witness  of  the  local  church  to  which  he  belongs,  and 
of  a  body  representative  of  the  fellowship  of  the  churches. 

Prepjuration  for  the  Ministry.  The  first  thing  for  a  member  of 
a  Congregational  church  to  do,  who  feels  the  call  of  duty  or  desire 
to  enter  the  Christian  ministry  in  connection  with  the  Congrega- 
tional churches,  is  to  make  sure  that  the  call  is  of  God.  For  this 
he  should  scan  his  motives,  study  the  work  as  a  privilege  and 
opportunity  and  not  at  all  from  a  commercial  standpoint,  ask  the 
Lord  to  make  the  matter  plain  to  him  and  seek  advice  from  Chris- 
tian friends  on  whose  judgment  of  his  adaptation  to  the  demands 
of  the  ministry  he  can  largely  rely.  If  he  expects  to  be  a  pastor 
and  to  preach  for  a  lifetime,  he  should  lay  solid  foundation  of 
Bible  and  other  study  in  a  theological  seminary  or  elsewhere,  and 
learn  how  to  approach  men  and  women  and  children  by  an  appren- 
ticeship to  some  mission  work.  When  his  preliminary  preparation 
has  been  thus  completed,  he  should  seek  an  approbation  to  preach 


198  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

from  a  body  of  ministers  or  churches,  as  may  be  the  custom  in 
his  locality.  If,  as  sometimes  happens,  delay  and  fuller  prepara- 
tion are  counseled,  he  should  take  the  advice  meekly  and  act  upon 
it,  sure  that  it  is  meant  only  for  his  good  and  greater  usefulness. 
If  his  request  is  granted  and  he  is  given  this  introduction  to  the 
churches,  he  goes  out  strengthened  in  his  own  spirit  and  in  his 
position. — Boynton:   Congregational   Way,  p.  85. 

What  Is  Licensure  to  Preach?  Licensure  to  preach  is 
a  form  of  approbation  granted  to  men  who  are  either  candi- 
dates for  the  gospel  ministry,  or  who,  without  present  in- 
tention to  seek  ordination,  give  evidence  of  gifts  which  in 
the  judgment  of  the  church  ought  to  be  exercised  in  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel. 

Licentiates  Not  Ministers.  Licentiates  are  not  ministers,  but 
laymen  approbated  to  preach  the  gospel  as  candidates  for  ordina- 
tion to  the  ministry.  This  approbation  is  given  by  associations 
either  of  churches  or  of  ministers. — Ross:  Pocket  Manual,  p.  69. 

May  a  Local  Church  License  a  Preacher?  A  local 
church  may  license  a  preacher  for  work  within  its  own 
parish.  A  church  which  is  maintaining  a  mission,  or  a 
preaching  appointment  in  a  school  house  within  the  bounds 
of  its  own  parish,  may  elect  one  of  its  own  members  as 
preacher  in  that  mission  or  settlement  and  renew  the  license 
from  time  to  time  at  its  pleasure,  unless  otherwise  specified. 
The  period  of  such  license  terminates  at  the  date  fixed  by 
the  church  and  the  character  of  the  service  to  be  rendered 
cannot  exceed  in  its  functions  the  authority  of  the  licentiate. 
Such  a  man  has  no  standing  outside  of  his  own  church  and 
parish,  except  that  of  a  Christian  layman. 

What  Body  Should  Issue  License  to  Preach?  Associa- 
tions of  ministers  and  churches  are  in  all  ordinary  cases  the 
proper  bodies  to  issue  certificates  of  licensure.  A  licentiate 
should  be  under  the  care  of  a  standing  body  representative 
both  of  the  churches  and  the  ministry. 

Dr.  Dexter,  who  strongly  objected  to  the  term  licensure, 
and  urged  the  better  term  of  approbation  to  preach,  passed 
very  lightly  over  the  matter  of  candidacy  for  the  ministry, 
and  even  Dr.  Ross  deals  with  it  quite  incidentally.  There 
really  was  no  orderly  place  for  licensure  in  the  usage  of 


CANDIDATES   FOR   THE   MINISTRY 199 

that  part  of  our  denomination  which  followed  Dexter  in 
regarding  associations  as  mere  voluntary  clubs,  yet  per- 
mitted that  "for  convenience  sake,  they  have  gradually 
come  to  be  the  depositories  of  a  quasi  power,  which  when 
suitably  managed  is  of  most  beneficent  character  and  influ- 
ence," so  that  the  churches  "have  tacitly  agreed  that  it  is 
wise  that  candidates  for  their  pulpits  shall  present  them- 
selves for  examination  to  some  association  of  ministers, 
whose  certificate  of  approval  becomes  thereafter  their  suffi- 
cient commendation  to  the  churches."  (Handbook,  p.  123.) 
Our  denominational  usage  cannot  rest  with  such  a 
theory  of  a  licentiate  as  bearing  only  the  unofficial  letter 
of  what  Dr.  Dexter  insisted  was  but  "a  voluntary  club" 
(Handbook,  p.  123).  Dr.  Dexter's  books  said  as  little  as 
possible  about  the  place  of  licentiates;  and  even  Ross,  in 
his  larger  work,  devotes  to  the  subject  only  a  part  of  a 
sentence  (Church-Kingdom,  p.  226).  Dr.  George  M.  Boyn- 
ton  felt  the  inadequacy  of  this  view  of  the  matter,  but 
did  not  get  far  beyond  it.    In  his  theory,  the  local  church 

looked  over  its  own  membership  first  to  see  if  there  was  one 
among  them  fitted  by  nature  and  by  grace  to  lead  and  teach  the 
rest.  In  later  days,  men  have  been  prepared  for  the  sacred  office 
by  years  of  study  and  have  sought  to  enter  the  work.  They  have 
appeared  as  applicants,  or  at  least  as  those  who  stood  ready  to  be 
called  into  this  relation  to  some  particular  church.  It  was  desir- 
able that  they  should  have  not  only  the  approval  of  their  teachers 
but  also  of  some  body  of  men  fitted  to  pass  upon  the  results  of 
this  teaching  and  upon  their  general  qualifications  for  the  special 
duties  of  their  spiritual  office. — The  Congregational  Way,  p.  82. 

Qualifications  of  Licentiates.  It  is  expedient  that  they  who 
enter  on  the  work  of  preaching  the  gospel  be  not  only  qualified 
for  communion  of  saints,  but  also,  that,  except  in  cases  extraordi- 
nary, they  give  proof  of  their  gifts  and  fitness  for  the  said  work 
unto  the  pastors  of  churches,  of  known  abilities  to  discern  and 
judge  of  their  qualifications,  that  they  may  be  sent  forth  with 
solemn  approbation  and  prayer,  which  we  judge  needful,  that  no 
doubt  may  remain  concerning  their  being  called  unto  the  work; 
and  for  preventing  (so  much  as  in  us  lieth)  ignorant  and  rash 
intruders. — Saybrook  Platform,  1708,  ii,  7. 

Varying  Usage.  The  usage  in  the  West  and  in  certain  parts 
of  New  England  is  that  this  approbation  to  preach  is  given  by  an 
ecclesiastical  body,  that  is,  one  composed  of  representatives  of  the 
churches.  This  is  usually  done  on  the  recommendation  of  a  strong 
committee,  a  majority  of  whom  at  least  are  ministers,  which  con- 


200        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

ducts  the  examination  and  reports  to  the  conference  of  churches. 
This  body  will  usually  sustain  the  recommendation.  In  New  Eng- 
land this  certification  is  most  often  given  by  a  body  of  ministers. 

Letters  of  commendation  from  experienced  pastors  which  a 
young  minister  would  naturally  take  when  going  among  the 
churches  as  a  candidate,  gradually  assumed  the  form  and  authority 
of  credentials,  till,  in  1790,  the  convention  of  Congregational  min- 
isters virtually  made  them  necessary  by  recommending  that  only 
those  bearing  such  papers  from  clerical  bodies  be  admitted  to  the 
pulpits.  Thus  the  business  of  testing  the  qualifications  of  a  young 
man  for  the  ministry  silently  and  gradually  passed  from  the 
churches  to  the  clergy. 

Such  credentials  are  merely  intended  to  express  approbation  of 
those  who  give  them;  and  no  Congregational  association  claims, 
or  even  can  rightfully  claim,  the  authority  implied  in  the  word 
license,  which  in  later  years  has  inadvertently  crept  into  our  asso- 
ciation nomenclature. — Joseph  S.  Clark:  Historical  Sketch  of  Con- 
gregational Churches  in  Massachusetts,  p.  288. 

Associations  of  Ministers.  Such  a  body  [of  ministers,  not  of 
churches]  is  perhaps  best  fitted  to  pass  upon  the  quaHfications 
of  those  seeking  this  work.  They  are  themselves  men  who  have 
received  the  education  which  they  seek  in  the  applicants,  and  it 
is  presumed  that  they  are  men  whose  hearts  the  grace  of  God 
has  fitted  for  their  own  work.  This  approbation  given  by  either 
body  should  be  an  intelligent  one,  and  this  introduction  to  the 
churches  should  be  so  guarded  and  discriminating  as  to  be  of  real 
value.  That  it  is  only  introductory  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  it 
is  for  a  limited  time  and  is  rarely,  if  ever,  given  as  a  permanent 
endorsement  or  reference.  A  careless  presentation  of  men  as 
candidates  for  the  sacred  office  is  fraught  with  evils. — Boynton:  The 
Congregational  Way,  pp.  82-83. 

May  Bodies  of  Ministers  License?  In  certain  New 
England  states  where  there  are  Associations  of  churches 
and  independent  associations  of  ministers,  it  has  long  been 
the  custom  to  permit  the  association  of  ministers  to  license 
candidates  for  the  ministry.  It  is  not  desirable  that  this 
method  be  extended  beyond  its  present  territorial  limits. 
In  the  interests  of  unity  and  good  order  it  would  be  better 
it  even  in  those  cases  the  association  of  ministers  were  to 
act  as  an  examining  committee  for  the  Association  of  min- 
isters and  churches,  and  the  result  of  the  examination  were 
reported  for  approval  and  the  public  act  of  licensure  per- 
formed by  the  Association  of  churches. 

May  Theological  Seminaries  Issue  Licenses?  Theolog- 
ical seminaries  have  no  authority  to  issue  licenses  to 
preach.    For  a  time  there  was  a  custom  of  issuing  what  are 


CANDIDATES    FOR   THE    MINISTRY  201 

known  as  "seminary  licenses."  Commonly  theological  stu- 
dents are  not  licensed  before  their  middle  year,  but  often 
they  preach  during  their  first  long  vacation.  It  is  entirely 
fitting  that  they  should  bear  a  credential  from  the  institu- 
tion in  which  they  are  pursuing  their  studies,  but  such  a 
credential  should  bear  no  semblance  to  a  license.  It  should 
be  strictly  limited  in  time  and  in  no  case  exceed  six  months. 
It  should  be  recognized  as  merely  a  personal  letter  of  intro- 
duction from  the  faculty  of  the  seminary  and  a  document 
wholly  destitute  of  ecclesiastical  authority. 

The  National  Council  has  definitely  spoken  adversely 
on  the  matter  of  so-called  seminary  licenses  (Minutes  of 
Council  of  1904,  p.  557). 

Is  a  Diploma  a  Substitute  for  Examination?  Candidates 
for  the  ministry  should  submit  evidences  of  their  scholar- 
ship, and  particularly  of  their  theological  studies,  but  no 
diploma  or  certificate  should  be  accepted  as  a  substitute  for 
thorough  examination  on  the  part  of  the  churches  them- 
selves, through  their  accredited  representatives. 

Should  Licensure  Be  Permanent?  Approbation  to 
preach  should  not  be  unlimited  as  to  time,  and  may  be  lim- 
ited also  as  to  place.  It  is  not  in  the  interests  of  good 
order  that  licensure  should  be  indefinite.  One  year  is  ordi- 
narily the  limit;  two  years  should  be  the  extreme  limit; 
but  licenses  may  be  renewed  from  time  to  time  and  as 
many  times  as  are  necessary.  An  exception  to  the  rule 
might  be  made  in  the  case  of  the  lay-preacher  who  had 
given  satisfactory  proof  of  his  ability,  and  who  had  no 
intention  of  becoming  an  ordained  minister;  but  even  in 
that  case  it  would  be  better  and  more  orderly  for  the  license 
to  be  renewed  as  often  as  once  in  two  years. 

May  an  Association  License  a  Lay-Preacher?  An 
Association  may  license  a  lay-preacher.  Where  it  is  pro- 
posed that  his  service  extend  beyond  the  bounds  of  his 
own  parish,  it  is  desirable  that  his  approbation  be  certified 
by  the  Association  to  which  his  own  church  belongs.  No 
lay-preacher  should  be  licensed  by  an  Association  except 


202        THE  LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

on  the  request  and  recommendation  of  the  church  of  which 
he  is  a  member. 

May  Men  Be  Licensed  Without  Intent  to  Be  Ordained? 

It  is  entirely  suitable  that  men  should  be  licensed  to  preach 
who  have  no  present  intention  of  being  ordained  or  of 
entering  the  work  of  the  ministry,  or  whose  gifts  and  oppor- 
tunities for  usefulness  are  such  that  they  ought  to  preach 
the  gospel  only  in  certain  places  or  under  certain  conditions. 
The  church  ought  to  make  larger  use  of  lay-preachers.  A 
larger  number  of  men  than  is  now  employed  might  profit- 
ably be  commissioned  to  preach  in  missions,  school  houses, 
and  places  of  assembly  remote  from  houses  of  worship.  A 
consecrated  layman  having  gifts  which  he  is  willing  and 
disposed  to  exercise  in  this  manner  should  receive  in  some 
formal  way  the  approbation  of  the  church. 

How  Shall  a  Candidate  for  the  Ministry  Prepare  Him- 
self for  Licensure?  A  man  believing  himself  to  have  a  call 
to  preach  the  gospel  should  first  consult  with  his  own  pas- 
tor, or  if  the  church  of  which  he  is  a  member  be  without 
a  pastor,  then  with  some  other  wise  and  experienced  min- 
ister of  the  gospel,  who  should  advise  him  with  reference 
to  his  preparation.  After  meditation  and  prayer  and  dili- 
gent inquiry  into  his  own  motives  and  qualifications,  and 
the  pursuit  of  such  studies  as  will  fitly  prepare  him  for  his 
great  work,  he  should  apply  to  the  Association  to  which 
his  church  belongs,  for  approbation  to  preach  the  gospel. 
He  should  submit  a  statement  setting  forth, — 

(a)  His  full  name  and  address. 

(b)  His  age  and  present  occupation. 

(c)  The  date  and  place  of  his  first  church  membership 
and  of  all  succeeding  church  memberships. 

(d)  The  name  of  his  present  pastor,  and  the  names  of 
his  teachers,  or  of  others  who  will  vouch  for  his  Christian 
character  and  ability  to  preach. 

(e)  A  statement  of  his  experience  in  Christian  work. 

(f)  The  grounds  on  which  he  is  moved  to  prepare  for 
the  Christian  ministry. 


CANDIDATES    FOR   THE   MINISTRY 


What  Constitutes  Examination  for  Licensure?  A  caa- 
didate  for  licensure  should  be  thoroughly  examined  in, — 

(a)  His  Christian  experience  and  call  to  the  ministry. 

(b)  The  nature  and  content  of  the  books  of  the  Bible, 

(c)  The  doctrines  of  the  Christian  Church. 

(d)  Church  History. 

(e)  The  ability  to  prepare  and  deliver  sermons,  includ- 
ing the  rules  of  composition,  rhetoric  and  logic, 

(f)  Ethics,  moral  philosophy,  the  evidences  of  Chris- 
tianity, and  religious  pedagogy, 

(g)  Church  polity,  including  the  history,  doctrines  and 
usage  of  the  Congregational  churches, 

(h)  His  knowledge  of  the  missionary  organizations  and 
work  of  the  Christian  churches,  and  particularly  of  the 
Congregational  churches. 

In  case  a  candidate  exhibits  lack  of  thorough  training 
in  any  of  these  subjects,  his  license  may  be  withheld,  or, 
if  granted,  its  renewal  may  be  conditional  upon  his  pursu- 
ing these  subjects,  or  any  of  them,  to  the  full  satisfaction 
of  the  Association, 

Are  Licentiates  Members  of  the  Association?  Licenti- 
ates are  not  ministerial  members  of  their  Association,  but 
are  under  the  care  of  said  Association  as  candidates  for 
the  ministry.  Any  candidate  for  the  ministry  who  has 
been  licensed  by  an  Association,  in  terminating  that  rela- 
tionship either  by  transfer,  or  ordination,  or  by  change  of 
his  life  plan,  should  notify  the  Association  by  which  he 
has  been  licensed  and  secure  an  orderly  termination  of  his 
relations  to  it. 

No  licentiate  can  properly  be  under  the  care  of  two 
Associations  at  once,  nor  is  it  orderly  for  him  to  seek  rela- 
tions with  one  Association  until  he  has  terminated  his  rela- 
tions with  another,  even  though  the  period  of  his  licensure 
in  the  first  may  have  expired.  In  case  he  has  been  licensed 
for  one  year  by  one  Association,  and  at  the  close  of  that 
year,  having  removed,  seeks  licensure  from  another  Asso- 


204        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

ciation,  the  Association  granting  the  original  license  should 
have  suitable  notification  of  the  change,  and  signify  its 
consent  thereto. 

May  Licentiates  Be  Transferred  to  Other  Associations? 
A  candidate  for  the  ministry  to  whom  approbation  to 
preach  has  been  granted  by  one  Association,  and  who  dur- 
ing the  period  of  his  licensure  removes  to  another  Associa- 
tion for  any  good  reason,  may  be  granted  a  letter  of  trans- 
fer from  one  Association  to  the  other.  Any  Association 
receiving  a  licentiate  from  another  Association  should 
notify  the  Association  from  which  he  is  received,  of  his 
reception. 

May  Licentiates  Be  Received  from  Other  Denomina- 
tions? A  licentiate  may  be  received  from  another  denom- 
ination, and  his  credentials  given  such  weight  as  may  be 
due  to  them,  but  all  relations  with  the  former  denomination 
should  be  terminated  in  an  orderly  manner,  and  the  Asso- 
ciation may  make  such  further  examination  as  shall  fully 
satisfy  it  of  the  candidate's  character,  ability,  and  fitness. 

May  Licentiates  Administer  the  Ordinances?  A  church 
has  a  right  to  authorize  one  of  its  officers  or  members,  or 
a  licentiate  serving  as  its  stated  supply,  to  administer  the 
sacraments.  In  some  isolated  communities  it  may  be  best 
that  churches  should  exercise  this  right.  In  some  frontier 
states  it  has  been  customary  for  Associations  to  authorize 
licentiates  to  administer  the  sacraments  during  the  period 
of  their  licensure.  It  may  be  expedient  in  some  very  re- 
mote communities  that  this  be  continued.  But  in  general 
it  is  to  be  discouraged  as  subversive  of  good  order.  The 
judgment  of  the  churches  would  appear  to  be  increasingly 
against  it,  and  the  reasons  which  formerly  were  supposed 
to  require  it  grow  less  cogent  with  the  progress  of  the 
settlement  of  the  country. 

May  Licentiates  Solemnize  Marriages?  In  a  few  states 
Congregational  licentiates  are  permitted  to  solemnize  mar- 
riages, but  most  states  forbid  this,  some  of  them  under 
penalty  of  fine  or  imprisonment. 


CANDIDATES    FOR   THE   MINISTRY  205 

The  Illinois  Law.  In  answer  to  the  question  whether  a  licen- 
tiate may  solemnize  marriages,  I  beg  to  say  that  the  statute  of  the 
State  of  Illinois  provides: 

"Marriages  may  be  celebrated  by  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in 
regular  standing  in  the  church  or  society  to  which  he  belongs." 
The  "regular  standing"  here  referred  to  is  "ministerial  standing" — 
not  regular  standing  as  a  member  of  the  church.  This  law,  there- 
fore, means  exactly  the  same  as  though  it  read: 

"Marriages  may  be  celebrated  by  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in 
regular  ministerial  standing  in  the  church  or  society  to  which  he 
belongs." 

There  should  be  no 'confusion  as  to  what  the  State  has  done 
and  what  the  Church  may  do  under  this  law.  The  State  has 
ordained  that  marriages  may  be  celebrated  by  a  minister  in  regular 
ministerial  standing.  It  remains  for  the  Church  to  determine  the 
ministerial  standing  of  each  person  concerned.  The  Church  may 
determine  whether  Mr.  A  is  a  minister  in  regular  standing,  but  it 
cannot  enlarge  or  diminish  his  powers  in  the  matter  of  celebrating 
marriages.  The  State  has,  by  statute,  provided  that  if  Mr.  A  be  a 
minister  in  regular  standing  he  shall  have  this  prerogative,  and  the 
Church  cannot  say  that  he  shall  not  have  it.  On  the  contrary,  it 
is  only  the  minister  in  regular  standing  upon  whom  the  State  has 
conferred  this  authority,  and  the  Church  cannot  say  that  it  will 
confer  this  power  upon  any  other  person.  Since  the  State  has  not 
so  provided,  it  is  perfectly  manifest  that  the  Church  cannot  say  that 
its  deacons  or  elders,  or  other  officials,  may  exercise  this  power. 
The  sole  function  of  the  Church,  therefore,  is  to  determine  who  are 
ministers  in  regular  ministerial  standing.  If  the  Church,  through 
its  proper  official  legislative  body,  should  pass  a  rule,  in  substance, 
that  licentiates  are  to  be  deemed  as  ministers  in  regular  standing, 
then  that  class  of  persons  would  at  once,  under  the  statutes  of  the 
State,  be  invested  with  authority  to  celebrate  marriages.  On  the 
contrary,  if  the  Church  refuses  or  neglects  to  give  licentiates  regu- 
lar standing  as  ministers  of  the  denomination,  then  it  cannot  confer 
upon  them  the  power  to  celebrate  marriages.  The  above  relates  to 
the  power  of  the  Church  itself,  acting  through  its  representative 
legislative  bodies. 

The  question  may  still  remain,  what  is  meant  by  "the  church" 
as  that  term  is  used  in  the  statute,  where  it  is  said  that  the  minister 
shall  be  in  regular  standing  "in  the  church  or  society  to  which  he 
belongs."  Does  the  word  church  here  used  mean  the  denomination, 
or  does  it  mean  the  local  individual  church?  I  think  it  clearly 
means  the  denomination,  as,  for  example,  the  Congregational 
Church,  or  the  Presbyterian  Church — and  does  not  mean,  for  exam- 
ple, the  New  England  Congregational  Church,  or  the  Ravenswood 
Presbyterian  Church.  I  assume,  therefore,  that  the  Congregational 
Conference  of  Illinois  represents  the  Congregational  churches  of 
the  State.  In  its  Constitution  I  find  no  direct  reference  to  this 
rnatter.  The  effect  of  this  would  be  to  leave  to  the  district  asso- 
ciations control  over  the  subject  matter.  The  Constitution  of  the 
Chicago  Association,  in  art.  viii,  contains  this: 

"The  Association  insists  upon  ordination  by  a  representative 
body  as  essential  to  ministerial  standing,  and  will  recognize  the 
credentials  only  of  ministers  who  have  been  properly  ordained." 


206        THE    LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

We  have  here,  by  action  of  the  Chicago  Association,  a  direct 
denial  of  ministerial  standing  to  persons  who  have  not  been  or- 
dained. Licentiates,  for  lack  of  ordination,  could  not  have  minis- 
terial standing  under  this  law  of  the  Chicago  Congregational  Asso- 
ciation.— Hon.  George  A.  Dupuy,  in  legal  opinion  on  right  of  licen- 
tiates to  solemnize  marriage  in  Illinois. 

May  a  License  Be  Terminated?  A  license  to  preach 
may  be  terminated  by  the  body  which  issued  it.  No  trial 
is  necessary,  but  a  fair  hearing  should  be  given.  Licensure 
to  preach  is  not  ordination,  and  its  revocation  is  not  deposi- 
tion from  the  ministry.  Inasmuch  as  licenses  to  preach 
are  almost  invariably  limited  in  time  to  one  or  tw^o  years,  it 
is  rarely  necessary  to  revoke  them.  If  within  the  period  of 
the  licensure  the  candidate  proves  unworthy,  it  is  usually 
sufficient  to  refuse  to  renew  the  license.  But  in  a  flagrant 
case,  the  termination  of  the  license  before  its  expiration 
would  be  justified  as  a  protection  to  the  churches. 


XIV.     THE  CONGREGATIONAL  MINISTRY 

What  Is  a  Christian  Minister?  A  Christian  minister  is 
a  member  of  the  church,  who,  having  been  called  of  God 
and  recognized  by  the  church,  is  consecrated  by  an  official 
act  of  ordination  to  the  work  of  the  ministry. 

The  Ministry  and  the  Laity.  This  ministerial  function  is  not 
exclusive.  It  does  not  shut  out  the  general  body  of  believers  from 
active  participation  in  church  worship.  No  line  of  separation  is 
drawn  between  the  ministry  and  the  laity,  as  between  the  priest- 
hood and  the  people.  As  in  the  synagogues  every  adult  male  Jew 
could  take  part  in  the  services,  so  in  the  primitive  churches  laymen 
could  take  part  in  the  worship  (I  Cor.  14:31).  The  function  of 
teaching  or  preaching,  by  the  Acts,  the  Epistles,  and  the  Apos- 
tolical Constitutions,  was  open  to  laymen.  In  this  respect  all  are 
priests,  to  offer  spiritual  sacrifices  (I  Peter  2:5).  The  ministry  is 
9.  function  of  the  church-kingdom  common  to  all  its  members,  yet 
specifically  manifested  in  the  superior  fitness  of  some. — Ross: 
Church  Kingdom,  p.  135. 

What  Is  the  Work  of  the  Ministry?  The  work  of  the 
Christian  ministry  is  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  the 
administration  of  the  sacraments,  religious  instruction,  and 
the  oversight  and  direction  of  the  work  of  the  church  ac- 
cording to  the  principles  of  the  New  Testament  and  the 
usage  of  the  denomination.  We  cannot  wholly  agree  with 
Mr.  Heermance,  whose  theory  of  the  ministry  as  a  position 
of  service  is  correct  in  its  positive  aspects  but  inadequate  in 
its  negative  implications. 

An  Inadequate  View.  A  minister  in  a  Christian  church  is  simply 
its  servant  (the  term  hired  man  we  approve  not)  and  derives  all 
the  powers  he  possesses  from  the  church  which  calls  him  for 
service. — Heermance:  Democracy  in  the  Church,  p.  141. 

Ministerial  Leadership.  In  our  polity,  then,  the  ministry  is 
greater  than  the  pastorate.  I  like  Dr.  Ross'  putting  of  it  as  a 
function  in  the  Church-Kingdom.  It  is  an  order  or  range  of  serv- 
ice in  the  Kingdom  and  the  church.  It  is  not  outside  the  church, 
and  we  rightly  hold  our  ministers  to  church-membership.  It  is 
not  above  the  church,  not  a  hierarchy  with  governing  power  over 
the  churches.  It  is  only  by  way  of  the  pastorate  that  it  becomes 
official  in  the  churches,  A  minister  must  be  a  pastor  or  be  invited 
to  perform  pastoral  service  in  order  to  get  the  office  and  oppor- 
tunity of  leadership  in  any  church.  The  ministry,  as  distinguished 
from  the  pastorate,  is  to  be  found  not  merely  in  the  churches,  but 
in    and    among    them    in    a    pervasive    sense.     It    belongs    to    the 


208        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

churches  in  common,  to  the  Church  Catholic.  It  is  a  service  to 
the  church  at  large,  ready  to  define  itself  upon  invitation  into  a 
pastorate  of  any  local  church  at  any  time.  This  distinction  dis- 
closes the  safety  enjoyed  by  every  Congregational  church  with 
reference  to  the  body  of  men  called  the  ministry.  No  one  of  these 
men,  nor  all  of  them  combined,  can  enter  the  field  of  any  local 
church  for  the  purpose,  or  by  the  power  of  any  official  action,  save 
upon  that  church's  invitation  and  for  the  term  of  that  church's 
pleasure. — Nash:   Cong.  Administration,   pp.  64-65. 

What  Is  a  Congregational  Minister?    A  Congregational 

minister  is  a  member  of  a  local  Congregational  church  who 

has  been  set  apart  by  an  act  of  ordination,  and  who  is  in 

good  and  regular  standing  in  a  Congregational  Association 

as  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 

The  Ministry  as  a  Business.  If  this  matter  of  the  church  and 
her  leaders  is  a  business  matter,  it  is  spiritual  business.  It  is  en- 
gaged with  God  upon  the  spirit  of  man.  The  ministry  is  a  voca- 
tion. The  Church  recognizes  the  divine  call  and  adjusts  her  call 
to  that.  The  Church  cannot  take  pleasure  in  that  easy  running  in 
and  out  of  the  ministry  of  which  we  see  lamentably  much  today. 
It  is  not  a  business  or  profession  to  be  lightly  assumed  with  a 
calculating  eye  and  presently  to  be  discarded  as  unprosperous.  It 
is  the  highest  of  vocations,  to  be  entered  with  a  lifelong  purpose 
and  uncalculating  devotion.  The  Church  demands  the  entire  life 
of  her  ministers,  their  undivided  attention  and  their  unswerving 
purpose  unto  death;  and  quality  of  ministerial  work  is  clearly  seen 
to  be  in  direct  proportion  to  such  unreserved  and  dateless  conse- 
cration. With  less  than  this  churches  often  put  up,  but  the  Church 
is  never  satisfied.  Really  providential  interruptions  are  under- 
stood; but  the  Church's  conception  of  the  sacred  calling  stands  at 
the  ideal  height,  and  the  Church's  demands  upon  her  ministers 
abate  nothing  from  the  man's  total  gift  of  himself  and  all  that  he 
hath. — Nash:  Congregational  Administration,  pp.  54,  55. 

How   May   One   Enter   the    Congregational    Ministry? 

Entrance  to  the  Congregational  ministry  is  attained  by  the 
following  steps : 

(a)  Membership  in  a  Congregational  church. 

(b)  Licensure  by  a  Congregational  Association,  or  by 
some  ecclesiastical  body  representative  of  the  denomination 
from  which  the  candidate  comes  into  the  Congregational 
fellowship.  In  rare  cases  licensure  may  be  dispensed  with, 
but  this  should  be  the  exception,  and  for  important  reasons 
well  weighed  and  considered. 

(c)  Ordination  by  a  Congregational  Association,  or  by 
a  Council  of  Congregational  churches  regularly  called,  or 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL    MINISTRY  209 

by  some  other  branch  of  the  Christian  church  with  which 
the  Congregational  churches  are  in  fellowship. 

(d)   Membership  in  a  Congregational  Association. 

In  the  official  statement  by  the  National  Council  and 
other  bodies,  of  the  conditions  of  ministerial  standing,  no 
mention  is  made  of  licensure,  as  that  is  taken  for  granted. 
It  should  be  mentioned,  however,  in  a  statement  such  as 
this  of  the  orderly  method  of  becoming  a  Congregational 
minister.  The  National  Council  of  1886,  in  Chicago,  fol- 
lowing lines  laid  down  in  the  first  meeting  in  1871,  adopted 
the  following  resolutions : 

Resolved,  (1)  That  standing  in  the  Congregational  ministry  is 
acquired  by  the  fulfillment  of  these  three  conditions:  namely,  (1) 
membership  in  a  Congregational  church;  (2)  ordination  to  the 
Christian  ministry;  and  (3)  reception  as  an  ordained  minister  into 
the  fellowship  of  the  Congregational  churches,  in  accordance  with 
the  usage  of  the  state  or  territorial  organization  of  churches  in 
which  the  applicant  may  reside;  and  such  standing  is  to  be  con- 
tinued in  accordance  with  these  usages,  it  being  understood  that 
a  pro  re  nata  council  is  the  ultimate  resort  in  all  cases  in  question. 

Resolved,  (2)  That  all  Congregational  ministers  in  good  stand- 
ing in  their  respective  states,  who  have  been  installed  by  council, 
or  who  have  been  regularly  called  to  the  pastorate  by  the  specific 
vote  of  some  church,  have  formally  accepted  such  position,  and 
have  been  recognized  as  such  by  some  definite  act  of  the  church, 
should  be  enrolled  as  pastors;  and  we  advise  that  all  our  denom- 
inational statistics,  and  direct  that,  so  far  as  possible,  our  Year- 
Book,  conform  to  this  principle. 

What  Is  Ordination?  Ordination  is  the  official  act  of 
the  churches  in  fellowship,  setting  apart  a  member  of  the 
church  to  a  designated  form  of  service.  Ordination  is  com- 
monly applied,  and  in  Congregationalism  almost  wholly 
limited,  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  But  the  term  is  appli- 
cable to  other  offices,  particularly  to  the  office  of  deacon. 

Ordination.  This  ordination  we  account  nothing  else  but  the 
solemn  putting  of  a  man  into  his  place  and  office  in  the  church, 
whereunto  he  had  right  before  by  election;  being  like  the  installing 
of  a  magistrate  in  the  commonwealth. — Cambridge  Platform,  ix,  2. 

Ordination  a  Recognition  of  the  Call  of  God.  The  recognition 
of  the  ministry  is  made  in  ordination,  which  is  a  formal  inquiry  and 
setting  apart  to  the  work.  The  inquiry  respects  the  qualifications, 
and  consequent  fitness  or  unfitness,  of  the  candidate,  as  called  of 
God  for  the  ministry;  and  the  setting  apart  is  an  ecclesiastical  act 


210        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

or  ceremony  formally  recognizing  him  as  called  of  God  to  be  a 
minister. — Ross:  Church  Kingdom,  p.  150. 

It  is  agreed  by  all  that  the  primary  and  constitutive  act  for 
establishing  the  pastorate  is  that  choice  of  the  body  of  believers 
which  summons  the  person  chosen  to  its  leadership  in  Christian 
teaching  and  work.  To  this  must,  of  course,  be  added  the  pastor's 
acceptance  of  the  choice  of  the  church.  "Mutual  election,"  says 
Increase  Mather,  in  his  sermon  at  the  ordination  of  Mr.  Appleton, 
"is  that  which  doth  essentiate  the  relation  of  a  pastor  to  this  or 
that  particular  church."  Ordination  is,  therefore,  the  formal  act 
confessing  and  ratifying  this  choice. — Ladd:  Polity,  p.  227. 

We  are  therefore  brought  again  to  the  conclusion  that  ordina- 
tion gave,  and  still  gives,  ministerial  authority  and  not  power — 
authority  to  use  gifts  or  powers  for  the  benefit  of  the  church,  as 
its  recognized  office-bearers,  but  not  itself  conferring  them.  Rich- 
ard Hooker  indeed  has  said,  that  "No  man's  gift  or  qualities  can 
make  him  a  minister  in  holy  things,  unless  ordination  do  give  him 
power."  But  gifts  and  qualities  do  give  power:  what  they  do  not 
give  is  authority  to  minister  in  the  congregation,  which  authority 
ordination  supplies. — Jacob:  Ecclesiastical  Polity,  p.  119. 

Authority  from  Below?  When  the  question  is  put:  "Must  min- 
isterial character  be  in  all  cases  conferred  from  above,  or  may  it 
sometimes,  and  with  equal  validity,  be  evolved  from  below?"  it 
appears  to  me  that  a  fallacy  lurks  in  the  antithesis.  "From  below" 
is  used  in  the  sense  "from  the  membership  of  the  church,"  and  the 
inference  suggested  by  the  contrast  is  that  what  comes  "from  be- 
low"— i.  e.,  from  the  membership  of  the  church — cannot  come  "from 
above" — i.  e.,  cannot  be  of  divine  origin,  warrant  and  authority. 
Why  not?  May  the  Holy  Spirit  not  use  the  membership  of  the 
church  as  his  instrument?  Is  there  no  real  abiding  presence  of 
Christ  among  his  people?  Is  not  this  promised  Presence  something 
which  belongs  to  the  sphere  of  God,  and  may  it  not  be  the  source 
of  an  authority  which  is  "from  above." — Lindsay:  The  Church  and 
the  Ministry,  p.  9. 

Power  of  Congregation.  A  Church  Congregation  is  the  first 
subject  of  the  keys.  Each  Congregation  compleatly  constituted  if 
all  the  Officers  hath  sufficient  power  in  herself,  to  exercise  the 
power  of  the  keyes,  and  all  Church  Discipline,  in  all  the  censures 
thereof. 

Ordination  is  not  election.  There  ought  to  be  no  ordination 
of  a  Minister  at  large.  Namely,  such  as  should  make  him  Pastour 
without  a  People. 

The  election  of  the  people  hath  an  instrumentall  causall  vertue 
under  Christ,  to  give  an  outward  call  unto  an  Officer. 

Ordination  is  only  a  solemn  installing  of  an  Officer  into  the 
Office,  unto  which  he  was  formerly  called. — Thos.  Hooker:  Survey  of 
the  Summe  of  Church  Discipline,  London,  1648. 

Ordination.  Our  fathers  reckoned  ordination  not  to  be  essen- 
tial unto  the  vocation  of  a  minister,  any  more  than  coronation  to 
the  being  of  a  king;  but  that  it  is  only  a  consequent  and  convenient 
adjunct  of  his  vocation,  and  a  solemn  acknowledgment  of  it,  with 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL    MINISTRY  211 

a  useful  and  proper  benediction  of  him  in  it. — Cotton  Mather:  Mag- 
nalia,  Vol.  Ill,  pp.  242-243. 

It  is  plain  that  ordination  presupposes  an  office  constituted;  does 
not  constitute.  Therefore  it  is  not  an  act  of  power,  but  of  order. — 
Thomas  Hooker:  Right  and  Power  of  Ordination. 

Ordination  we  account  nothing  else  but  the  solemnly  putting  a 
man  into  his  place  and  office  in  the  Church,  whereto  he  had  right 
before  by  his  election;  being  like  the  installing  of  a  magistrate  in 
the  commonwealth. — Cambridge  Platform,  ix,  2,  4. 

And  ordination  of  ministers  is  no  more  than  swearing  them  to 
be  faithful  in  that  office.  Their  being  furnished  with  grace  and 
gifts  for  it  is  the  most  essential  thing  in  the  afifair. — Isaac  Backus: 
Baptist,  Hist.  N.  E.  Churches,  p.  3,  Phil,  ed.,  1853. 

The  Church,  the  Christian  society,  existed  in  those  faithful 
followers,  even  from  the  beginning,  and  will  doubtless  last  unto  the 
end.  But  even  for  years  after  the  Lord's  departure  such  a  society 
existed  without  a  separate  order  of  clergy. — Stanley:  Christ.  Insti- 
tutions, p.  179. 

May  a  Local  Church  Ordain?  In  early  Congregation- 
alism it  was  held  that  the  local  church  had  authority  to 
ordain  its  own  minister.  Such  ordination  is  no  longer  valid. 
The  right  of  ordination  passed  from  the  local  church  to 
councils  of  churches,  and  has  now  passed  also  to  Associa- 
tions, as  permanent  ordaining  bodies. 

Power  of  Ordination.  It  is  the  practice  to  call  in  the  aid  of 
other  churches;  but  it  is  not  lawful  nor  convenient  to  call  in  such 
assistance  by  way  of  authority  or  power  of  ministers,  or  of  other 
churches. — Richard  Mather:  Ch.  Govt.,  p.  41. 

Ordination  is  a  work  of  church  power.  The  power  of  the  keys 
is  a  liberty  purchased  to  the  church  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  and 
should  not  be  parted  with  at  a  less  price.  On  what  ground  shall 
presbyters  censure  a  brother  that  is  a  member  of  another  church? 
— John  Cotton:  Way  of  the  Churches,  1. 

All  jurisdiction  should  be  confined  to  particular  churches,  in 
whose  hands  our  Saviour  hath  left  it.  Nor  may  any  particular 
churches  deprive  themselves  of  this  power;  for,  in  so  doing,  they 
would  deprive  themselves  of  a  great  trust.  For,  unless  they  have 
and  keep  this  jurisdiction  within  themselves,  they  cannot  faith- 
fully discharge  various  other  duties  which  are  required  of  them  by 
Jesus  Christ,  their  lawgiver.  The  powers  and  privileges  of  particu- 
lar churches  are  sacred  things,  by  no  means  to  be  slighted  and  un- 
dervalued, nor  to  be  left  to  the  mercy  of  any  classes,  councils, 
synods,  or  general  meetings. — Samuel  Mather:.  Apology,  p.  20. 

Ordination  by  Church.  People  have  a  right  to  choose  their  own 
officers,  and  then  install  them  into  office.  The  right  is  primarily 
and  solely  in  the  church;  and  when  ministers  ordain,  it  is  because 
they  are  invited  and  appointed  by  the  church  to  do  it. — Emmons: 
Platform  of  Eccl.  Govt. 

Even  Dr.  Ross  Held  to  Local  Ordination.    The  local  churches 


212        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

are  the  only  organs  of  the  Spirit  provided  for  this  work  of  ordina- 
tion. The  church-kingdom  chiefly  manifests  itself  in  and  through 
them.  They  are  the  normal  repositories  of  ecclesiastical  power, 
and  the  only  bodies  on  which  such  power  was  conferred  for  all 
time.  They  are  chiefly  affected  by  the  ministry,  and  have  conse- 
quently the  highest  reasons  for  keeping  out  of  the  ministry  all 
whom  the  Lord  has  not  qualified  and  called.  Their  conceded  in- 
dependence involves  the  right  and  power  of  ordination. — Church 
Kingdom,  p.  153. 

Ordination  to  the  Unitarian  ministry  is  theoretically  by 
the  local  church,  and  the  usage  of  that  communion  as  set 
forth  in  the  Unitarian  Manual  calls  for  the  dissolution  of 
the  council  after  the  vote  approving  the  ordination.  But 
not  only  is  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  extended  by  a 
member  of  the  council,  but  it  is  definitely  provided  that  the 
ordaining  prayer  should  be  ofifered  by  a  minister  in  good 
standing. 

Calling  a  Pastor.  The  clerk  of  the  parish  may  then  read  the 
record  of  the  meeting  at  which  the  action  calling  the  pastor  elect 
was  taken,  the  letter  to  the  pastor  elect  containing  the  call,  and 
his  letter  of  acceptance,  after  which  the  candidate  for  ordination 
may  be  invited  to  make  such  statement  as  shall  seem  to  him 
fitting  regarding  his  education  and  professional  equipment  and  his 
purpose  of  work  and  spirit  of  service.  Then  may  be  presented  the 
formal  motion  for  proceeding  to  the  service  of  ordination,  which 
may  in  substance  be  as  follows: 

Voted,  That  this  council  approves  the  action  of  the  

church  in  calling  the  Rev to  be 

its  minister,  and  hereby  appoints  the  Rev to 

extend  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  at  the  service  of  ordination. 

After  the  passing  of  this  vote,  the  council  shall  be  dissolved. 
The  moderator  of  the  council  may  introduce  the  public  service  of 
ordination  by  an  announcement  of  this  action  on  the  part  of  the 
council. 

The  service  of  ordination  has  its  natural  focus  of  significance  in 
the  prayer  of  ordination,  and  this  should  therefore  be  assigned  al- 
ways to  a  minister  whose  standing  in  the  Unitarian  fellowship  and 
dignity  of  personal  character  befit  the  responsibility  of  the  ordain- 
ing function.  The  right  hand  of  fellowship  is  in  ordination  ex- 
tended in  behalf  of  the  Christian  ministry  and  the  Unitarian  fel- 
lowship; and  the  minister  extending  it  should  be,  therefore,  him- 
self in  full  fellowship  and  in  active  work  of  the  ministry,  and  his 
words  should  be  of  simple  welcome  and  congratulation. — Unitarian 
Handbook,  pp.  31-32. 

All  these  eminent  authorities  were  bound  by  the  tradi- 
tion that  the  local  church  must  be  the  ordaining  power. 
Dr.  Quint  clearly  saw  the  inadequacy  of  this  usage. 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   MINISTRY 213 

Dr.  Quinfs  Affirmation.  It  is  manifest  that  no  church  can 
rightly  assume  to  do,  without  consultation,  what  may  affect  the 
character  and  work  of  the  churches  in  general. — A.  H.  Quint  in 
Dunning's  Congregationalists,  p.  494. 

President  Nash  has  clearly  set  forth  what  is  now  the 
accepted  conception  of  the  Congregational  ministry.  If  a 
minister  is  to  be  ordained  to  a  wider  ministry  than  the 
pastorate  of  a  local  church,  the  churches  as  a  body  have  an 
interest  in  his  ordination ;  and  the  attempt  of  a  local  church 
to  create  ministerial  character  for  the  whole  denomination 
would  be  a  usurpation  incompatible  with  the  larger  inter- 
pretation of  the  ministry  which  has  become  inevitable  in 
Congregationalism. 

A  Minister  Is  Everywhere  a  Minister.  A  pastor  doth  Preach 
as  a  Minister,  and  Bless  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  as  a  Minister  of 
His,  wherever  he  may  be  occasionally  called  thereto. — Increase 
Mather:  The  Judgment  of  Several  Eminent  Divines,  Boston,  1693, 
p.  2. 

A  Minister  in  the  Church  Universal.  A  Minister  chosen  and  set 
over  one  Society,  is  to  looke  unto  his  people  committed  to  his 
charge,  and  feed  the  flock  over  which  the  Lord  hath  made  him 
overseer,  but  he  is  a  Minister  in  the  Church  Universall,  for  as  the 
Church  is  one,  so  is  the  Ministry  one,  of  which  every  minister 
(sound  or  Orthodox)  doth  hold  his  part,  and  though  he  be  min- 
ister over  that  flock  onely  which  he  is  to  attend,  yet  he  is  a  Min- 
ister in  the  Universal  Church.  The  function  or  power  of  exercising 
that  Function  in  the  Abstract,  must  be  distinguished  from  the 
power  of  exercising  it,  concretely,  according  to  the  divers  circum- 
stances of  places.  The  first  belongeth  to  a  Minister  everywhere  in 
the  church,  the  latter  is  proper  to  the  place  and  people  where  he 
doth  minister.  The  lawful  use  of  his  power  is  limited  to  that  con- 
gregation ordinarily.  The  power  itself  is  not  so  limited  and 
bounded.  In  Ordination,  Presbyters  are  not  restrained  to  one  or 
other  certaine  place,  as  if  they  were  to  be  deemed  Ministers  there 
onely,  though  they  be  set  over  a  certain  people. — John  Davenport: 
Answer  to  the  Elders,  1643. 

Pastoral  Theory  Inadequate.  This  pastoral  theory  became  al- 
most at  once  in  early  New  England  too  small  to  cover  the  facts. 
The  churches  held  the  ministry  in  higher  esteem  and  administered 
it  upon  a  larger  view.  Ordination  became  a  social  act,  performed 
by  representatives  of  the  churches.  The  ordained  man  was  con- 
sidered a  minister  beyond  the  bounds  of  his  own  parish,  and  his 
official  acts  properly  ministerial  wherever  performed.  In  1812 
the  General  Conference  of  Connecticut  asserted  that  the  ordained 
man  remained  amenable  to  discipline  when  out  of  a  pastorate. 
Repeated  ordination  to  the  ministry  gave  way  to  installation  into 
the  pastorate,  already  a  different  matter  in  Congregational  eyes. 
Dismissal  from  a  pastorate  ceased  to  be  deposition  from  the  min- 


214        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

istry.  The  close  of  the  last  pastorate  of  a  lifetime  was  not  ipso 
facto  departure  from  the  ministry. — Nash:  Cong.  Administration, 
pp.  62-63. 

Responsible  to  the  Welfare  of  All.  That  every  particular  con- 
gregation is  absolute  and  independent,  and  not  responsible  to  any 
higher  power,  is  too  lordly  a  principle:  it  is  too  ambitious  a  thing 
for  every  small  congregation  to  arrogate  such  an  uncontrolable 
power  as  to  be  accountable  to  none  on  earth.  This  is  neither  a 
probable  way  for  the  peace  of  the  churches  nor  for  the  safety  of 
church  members. — Solomon  Stoddard:  The  Doctrine  of  Instituted 
Churches,  1700,  p.  27. 

Is  Lay  Ordination  Valid?  Lay  ordination  is  not  valid 
in  modern  Congregationalism.  The  local  church  can  create 
its  own  ministry,  can  license  one  of  its  members  to  preach 
and  administer  the  ordinances,  but  for  admission  to  the 
general  ministry  of  the  Congregational  churches  there  must 
be  ordination  by  the  laying  on  of  hands  by  the  presbytery. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  even  in  the  strictest  days  of  Puri- 
tan rule  it  was  maintained  by  many  that  while  the  authority 
for  ordination  resides  in  the  local  church,  the^aict  of  ordifia=" 
tion  must  be  performed  by  the  ministry.  Even  John  Rob- 
inson contended  for  this,  so  that  while  sometimes  the  early 
New  England  churches  availed  themselves  of  the  right  to 
ordain,  they  even  then  were  accustomed  to  send  letters 
missive  to  individual  ministers  asking  them  to  perform  the 
act  of  ordination. 

Congregational  churches  have  always  held  that  the 
xhurch  creates  its  ministry,  and  not  the  ministry  the  churclUj 
They  have  never  admitted  the  right  of  a  local  church  to 
create  a  ministry  which  should  have  ministerial  standing  in 
all  the  churches.  The  ordination  of  a  minister  is  an  event 
of  more  than  local  significance  and  involves  a  special  char- 
acter not  to  be  ordinarily  transmitted  through  the  act  of 
laymen  alone.  There  were  a  few  instances  in  early  New 
England  history  where  a  church  set  apart  a  minister  by  its 
own  act,  but  this  was  not  looked  upon  as  regular.  The 
most  notable  instance  is  that  of  the  founding  of  the  church 
in  Woburn,  as  described  by  Captain  Johnson,  who  himself 
participated  in  the  event. 
The  Wobum  Case.     The  22.  of  the  9.  moneth  following  Mr. 


THE  CONGREGATIONAL   MINISTRY 215 


Thomas  Carter  was  ordained  Pastor,  in  presence  of  the  like  As- 
sembly. After  he  had  exercised  in  preachmg  and  P/ayer  the 
greater  part  of  the  day,  two  persons  m  the  name  of  the  Churcli 
laid  their  hands  upon  his  head,  and  said  We  ordain  thee  Thomas 
Carter  to  be  Pastor  unto  this  Church  of  Christ;  then  one  ot  the 
Elders  Priest  (Present),  being  desired  of  the  Church,  continued  in 
prayer  unto  the  Lord  for  His  more  especial  assistance  of  this  His 
servant  in  His  work,  being  a  charge  of  such  weighty  importance, 
as  is  the  glory  of  God  and  salvation  of  souls,  that  the  very  thought 
would  make  a  man  to  tremble  in  the  sense  of  His  own  inability  to 
the  Work— Johnson:  Wonder-Working  Providence,  p.  nv. 

This  course  was  strongly  objected  to  at  the  time,  as  is 
evidenced  in  Winthrop's  Journal: 

The  village  at  the  end  of  Charlestown  was  called  Woburn, 
where  they  had  gathered  a  church,  and  this  day  Mr  Carter  was  or- 
dained their  pastor  with  the  assistance  of  the  elders  of  othe. 
churches  Some  difference  there  was  about  his  ordination;  some 
advised,  in  regard  they  had  no  elder  of  their  own,  nor  any  mem- 
bers very  fit  to  solemnize  such  an  ordinance,  they  would  desire 
some  of  the  elders  of  the  other  churches  to  have  performed  it;  but 
others  supposing  it  might  be  an  occasion  of  mtroducmg  a  depend- 
ency of  churches,  etc.,  and  so  a  presbytery,  would  not  allow  it.  So 
it  was  performed  by  one  of  their  own  members,  but  not  so  well 
and  orderly  as  it  ought. — p.  88. 

There  were  several  like  instances  in  New  England  in 
the  early  days,  but  Cotton  Mather,  in  his  ''Magnalia,"  de- 
clares the  custom  of  ordination  other  than  by  the  presbytery 
as  having  in  his  time  gone  into  disuse.  It  has  never  re- 
turned, and  will  not  return,  to  use  in  Congregationalism. 
The  local  church  chooses  its  minister,  but  a  minister  when 
ordained  has  a  relation  to  all  the  churches  and  to  the  min- 
istry at  large.  Lay  ordination  is  not,  and  for  two  hundred 
years  has  not  been,  regular  in  Congregationalism. 

Lay  Ordination  in  Earlier  Usage.  In  such  churches  where 
there  are  no  elders,  imposition  of  hands  may  be  performed  by 
sorie  of  the  brethren  orderly  chosen  by  the  church  thereunto^  For 
if  the  people  may  elect  officers,  which  is  the  greater,  and  wherein 
the  substance  of  the  office  consists,  they  may  much  more  (occasion 
and  need  so  requiring)  impose  hands  in  ordination,  which  is  less, 
and  but  the  accomplishment  of  the  other. 

Nevertheless,  in  such  churches  where  there  are  no  elders,  and 
the  church  so  desire,  we  see  not  why  imposition  of  hands  may  not 
be  performed  by  the  elders  of  other  churches.  Ordinary  officers 
laid  hands  upon  the  officers  of  many  churches:  he  presbytery  at 
Ephesus  laid  hands  upon  Timothy,  an  evangelist;  thej^resbytcry 
at  Antioch  laid  hands  upon  Paul  and  Barnabas.— Cambridge  Flat- 
form,  ix,  4,  5. 


216        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Besides,  there  is  something  very  absurd  in  the  supposition,  that 
ordained  ministers  have  the  sole  right  of  ordaining  others.  Upon 
this  supposition,  let  a  particular  church  be  ever  so  pure  and  or- 
thodox, and  choose  an  able  and  orthodox  preacher  to  settle  with 
them,  they  cannot  have  him  for  their  pastor  unless  ministers  are 
pleased  to  ordain  him.  This  throws  all  the  churches  into  the  hands 
of  ministers;  and  can  we  suppose  that  Christ  meant  to  deprive 
churches  of  their  inherent  right  to  choose  and  install  their  own 
officers? — Emmons:  Platform  Eccl.  Govt.,  iii,  3. 

Must  Ministers  Be  Ordained  by  Ministers?  Whereas  they  tie 
the  Ordination  of  everie  Minister,  as  it  were,  vnto  the  girdle  of 
other  ministers — that  is,  to  laie  a  greater  bondage  vpon  ye  churches 
than  they  are  able  to  bear.  For  admitt  there  be  onlie  one  church  in 
a  nation,  and  they  want  a  pastour:  must  they  seeke  over  Sea  and 
Landc  to  gett  a  minister  ordained  by  other  ministers?  And  is  it 
not  a  dishonour  to  Jesus  Christ  the  head  of  everie  congregation 
which  is  his  bodie:  to  say  that  his  bodie  together  with  the  head  is 
not  able  to  be  sustained  and  preserved  in  itself? — Harrison,  Col- 
league of  Robert  Browne  at  Middlebury,  1583. 

Ordination  by  Ministers.  The  Scriptures  in  plain  terms  at- 
tribute the  act  of  ordination  to  a  presbytery,  i.  e.,  a  company  of 
elders.— Goodwin:    Ch.  Govt.,  p.  54. 

Divergence  of  Earlier  Authorities.  The  views  of  the  so-called 
authorities  have  differed  upon  this  whole  subject,  from  that  of 
President  Stiles,  who  says,  "It  was  a  mistaken  notion  of  our 
fathers  that  the  power  of  ordination  was  in  the  church  by  the 
elders,"  to  that  of  Davenport,  who  declares,  "Their  ordination  of 
officers  ...  is  an  act  of  the  power  of  the  keys  residing  in 
them";  from  that  of  Ainsworth,  who  maintains,  "That  ministers  of 
one  particular  church  should  ordain  elders  for  another  church  is 
more  unorderly  than  when  every  church  ordaineth  them  itself,"  to 
the  opposite  opinion  of  Increase  Mather,  who  supposes  lay-ordina- 
tion valid  indeed,  but,  when  elders  may  be  attained,  not  decent. — 
Ladd:  Principles  of  Church  Polity,  p.  231. 

Is  Ordination  to  Be  Performed  on  Sunday?  It  may  be 
so  performed.  It  is  not  customary  or  advisable  that  ordina- 
tion should  take  place  on  Sunday  where  a  council  is  to  be 
convened  on  that  day,  but  either  a  council  or  an  Association 
having  conducted  an  examination  upon  a  week  day  may 
set  the  public  service  of  ordination  upon  the  Sabbath,  and 
appoint  members  who  shall  perform  the  public  service  in 
the  name  of  the  council  or  Association.  Such  persons  have 
no  power  to  modify  or  add  to  the  instructions  of  council 
or  Association  under  which  they  act. 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL   MINISTRY 217 

May  a  Missionary   Society   Ordain  a   Missionary?    A 

missionary  society  may  not  ordain  a  missionary.  In  the 
earlier  years  of  the  American  Board  it  was  the  custom  of 
the  Prudential  Committee  to  call  ordaining  councils,  but 
this  practice  was  disapproved  and  ceased.  There  were  also 
a  few  cases  in  which  individual  missionaries  called  councils 
for  their  own  ordination,  but  this  was  highly  objectionable. 
Dr.  Anderson,  Secretary  of  the  American  Board,  in  1856, 
thus  described  the  custom  of  the  Board : 

At  first,  and  for  some  time,  the  Prudential  Committee  were  ac- 
customed to  call  the  ordaining  council.  But,  for  many  years  past, 
the  whole  matter  of  ordination  has  been  left  with  the  candidate 
to  arrange  with  the  church  to  which  he  belongs,  or  with  some 
other  church  to  which  he  sustains  a  providential  relation.  The  let- 
ters missive  are  issued  in  the  name  of  the  church,  inviting  sister- 
churches  to  come,  with  their  pastors,  and  ordain  the  candidate,  if 
they  think  proper,  as  a  missionary  to  the  heathen.  Where  cir- 
cumstances have  been  peculiar,  the  candidate  has  himself  some- 
times communicated  his  wishes,  by  letter,  to  certain  pastors  and 
churches,  and  asked  them  to  assemble  and  ordain  him,  in  case  they 
saw  no   objection. 

There  might  still  be  an  emergency  in  which  a  foreign 
missionary  society  could  call  a  council  for  the  ordination 
of  a  missionary.  Such  a  case  would  be  the  ordination  of 
the  son  of  foreign  missionary  parents,  whose  own  birth  and 
church  membership  were  in  a  foreign  land,  and  who,  re- 
turning to  this  country,  desired  ordination  before  his  return. 
In  such  a  case  the  American  Board,  representing  the  Con- 
gregational fellowship  of  churches  in  foreign  lands,  might 
call  a  council,  but  under  no  ordinary  circumstances  should 
this  be  done.  The  initiative  in  the  matter  of  ordination 
should  be  with  the  local  church.  It  is  to  be  noted,  however, 
that  in  the  above  supposed  case,  although  a  missionary 
society  might  call  a  council,  the  ordination  would  not  be 
performed  by  the  society,  but  by  the  council  of  churches. 

Does  Ordination  Create  the  Right  to  Preach?  Ordina- 
tion does  not  create  the  right  to  preach.  That  right  belongs 
to  every  member  of  the  church.  Nor  does  it  create  the 
particular  and  special  right  involved  in  a  call  to  the  min- 
istry.   That  right  is  conferred  by  the  Head  of  the  Church. 


218        THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

But  ordination  is  an  official  and  orderly  recognition  on  the 
part  of  the  church,  guided  by  the  Spirit,  of  the  gift  con- 
ferred by  Christ.  It  is  thus  the  right  of  the  church  to  say : 
"It  seemed  good  to  the  Holy  Ghost  and  to  us." 

Liberty  of  Prophesying.  The  apostolical  institution  did  not  or- 
dain that  a  particular  individual,  and  he  a  stipendiary,  should  have 
the  sole  right  of  speaking  from  a  higher  place,  but  that  each  be- 
liever in  turn  be  authorized  to  speak.  Women  are,  however,  en- 
joined to  keep  silence  in  the  churches. — John  Milton:  Christian 
Doctrine,  ii,  203,  204. 

Discreet,  faithful,  and  able  men,  (though)  not  yet  in  the  min- 
istry, may  preach  the  gospel  and  the  whole  truth  of  God. — Apology 
of  Engl.  Ch.  in  Amsterdam. 

All  men  have  not  only  the  liberty,  but  are  also  to  desire,  that 
they  may  prophesy,  i.  e.,  speak  to  the  church  to  edification,  which 
is  to  be  coveted  rather  than  other  spiritual  gifts. — Ainsworth: 
Communion  of  Saints,  in  Hanbury,  i,  281. 

We  believe  that  the  sober,  discreet,  orderly,  and  well-governed 
exercise  of  expounding  and  applying  the  Holy  Scriptures  in  the 
congregation,  by  the  apostle  called  prophesying,  and  allowed  by 
him  to  every  other  understanding  member  of  the  church  but 
women,  is  lawful  now,  convenient,  profitable,  yea,  sometimes  very 
necessary  also  in  divers  respects. — Jacob:  Confession,  Act  xviii. 

Cotton  Mather  did  not  reckon  ordination  to  be  essential  unto 
the  vocation  of  a  minister,  any  more  than  coronation  to  the  being 
of  a  king:  it  is  but  a  convenient  adjunct  of  his  vocation,  and  a 
solemn  acknowledgement  of  it,  with  an  useful  and  proper  bene- 
diction of  him  in  it. — John  Keep:  Congregationalism  and  Church 
Action,  p.  31. 

The  Right  to  Preach.  One's  right  to  preach  does  not  depend 
on  the  call  of  a  local  church,  or  on  ordination,  or  on  regular  stand- 
ing, but  on  the  commission  of  Christ,  the  Head  and  King.  How 
much  less  then  is  the  ministry  an  official  relation  in  a  local  church, 
as  was  once  held  by  the  New  England  churches  (Cambridge  Plat- 
form, ch.  ix,  7).  This  narrow  view  has  been  supplanted  by  the  bet- 
ter and  normal  view  of  the  ministry  (Boston  Platform,  Part  IV, 
i,  1).  The  churches  do  not  create  the  ministry;  they  only  recog- 
nize it.  He  whom  the  Master  calls  is  the  true  minister;  but  he 
whom  the  churches  call  may  be  still  a  layman.  The  power  of  the 
keys  is  for  recognizing  the  true  ministry,  and  regulating  their 
standing  for  the  good  of  the  churches;  but  the  power  to  create 
and  silence  is  not  theirs,  although  generally  good  order  requires 
acquiescence  in  their  action. — Ross:  Church-Kingdom,  p.  137. 

Must  Ordination  Be  to  the  Pastorate  of  a  Particular 
Church?  In  early  Congregationalism  it  was  maintained 
that  ordination  must  invariably  be  to  the  pastorate  of  a 
designated  local  church  and  that  his  standing  as  a  minister 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   MINISTRY  219 

terminated  on  his  resignation  of  the  pastorate  of  that 
church.  This  is  no  longer  the  usage  of  the  denomination, 
and  ceased  to  be  good  Congregationalism  when  installation 
ceased  to  be  re-ordination. 

Ordination  Not  Inauguration  into  the  Pastorate.  Ordination  is 
the  ecclesiastical  recognition  of  the  ministerial  function  of  the 
church-kingdom  as  that  function  appears  in  individuals  called  by 
Jesus  Christ  to  preach  the  Word.  It  is  not  therefore  primarily 
and  fundamentally  an  inauguration  into  the  pastoral  office,  as  the 
New  England  fathers  made  it,  but  into  the  ministry  of  the  Word, 
The  function  is  wider  than  the  pastoral  office;  it  includes  as  well 
all  evangelistic  and  missionary  labors;  and  so  ordination  is  to  the 
ministry,  which  is  as  wide  in  its  scope  as  the  wants  of  the  church 
and  the  work  of  Christ. — i?wj;Church-Kingdom,  p.  152. 

May  an  Evangelist  Be  Ordained?  The  ordination  of  an 
evangelist  is  a  matter  calling  for  more  conservative  action 
than  the  ordination  of  a  foreign  missionary.  The  missionary- 
is  still  responsible  to  the  churches  through  the  organization 
which  he  serves.  There  are  men  who  have  an  undoubted 
call  to  serve  the  churches  in  the  capacity  of  evangelists, 
but  every  man  so  ordained  should  be  considered  as  in  a 
special  sense  answerable  to  the  Association  of  which  he 
is  a  member,  and  if  he  employs  his  membership  in  the 
Association  for  the  mere  purpose  of  having  a  point  of  depar- 
ture and  conducts  himself  as  if  in  no  respect  answerable  to 
it  he  should  be  considered  guilty  of  irregular  conduct.  From 
the  beginning  our  churches  have  felt  the  need  of  caution 
in  the  ordination  of  evangelists. 

The  evangelist  should  be  particularly  conscientious  in 
his  relations  to  the  local  church  of  which  he  is  a  member 
and  to  the  Association  to  which  that  church  belongs,  other- 
wise his  ministry  would  become  practically  irresponsible. 

May  a  Woman  Be  Ordained?  In  the  early  centuries  of 
Congregationalism  only  men  were  ordained  to  the  gospel 
ministry,  and  this  continues  to  be  the  general  rule  among 
our  churches.  There  are  manifest  reasons  why  women 
should  not  ordinarily  be  ordained  as  ministers  of  the  gos- 
pel. We  have  no  law,  however,  which  prevents  ordination 
of  a  woman  under  circumstances  which  clearly  indicate  her 


220        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

providential  call  and  usefulness  in  the  Christian  ministry. 
There  have  been  several  cases  in  which  women  have  been 
ordained. 

Women's  Rights,  Robinson,  in  his  Reply  to  Bernard,  enu- 
merates, among  their  ecclesiastical  rights,  making  profession  of 
faith  and  confession  of  sin;  saying  amen  to  the  church's  prayers; 
singing  psalms  vocally;  accusing  a  brother  of  sin;  witnessing  an 
accusation,  or  defending  themselves  being  accused;  and,  where  no 
man  will,  reproving  the  church  rather  than  it  should  go  on  in  sin. 
He  holds  them  debarred  from  voting  and  ordinary  prophesying 
(i.  e.,  publicly  expounding  and  exhorting),  but  not  from  simple 
speaking.  Ainsworth,  in  his  Reply  to  Clyfton,  says:  "And  although 
woman,  in  regard  to  her  sex,  may  not  speak  or  teach  in  the 
church,  yet  with  other  women,  and  in  her  private  family,  she 
openeth  her  mouth  in  wisdom,  and  the  doctrine  of  grace  is  on  her 
tongue.  Miriam  was  a  guide  to  the  women  of  Israel,  and  Priscilla 
helped  to  expound  the  way  of  God  more  perfectly  to  Apollos." 
Robinson  advocates  the  same  in  his  Letter  to  the  Church  in  Lon- 
don. The  Synod  in  Boston,  in  1637,  condemned  the  proceeding  of 
a  public  meeting,  where  some  sixty  or  more  were  present  weekly; 
and  one  woman  took  upon  her  the  whole  exercise  in  a  prophetical 
way.  Isaac  Chauncy,  in  his  Divine  Institution  of  Congregational 
Churches,  says:  "Women  may  not  speak  or  exercise  authority  in 
the  church."  Eliot,  in  his  Ecclesiastical  History  of  Massachusetts, 
says  Cotton  would  not  consent  that  his  wife  should  make  an  open 
confession  of  her  faith,  when  she  joined  the  church,  considering  it 
as  against  modesty;  but  she  was  examined  by  the  elders. — Cum- 
mings:  Cong.  Diet.,  Women's  Rights. 

Is  Public  Service  of  Ordination  Necessary?  It  was 
contended  by  early  reformers  even  in  the  Episcopal 
church  and  generally  by  Congregationalists  that  no  public 
act  of  ordination  was  necessary,  but  it  was  always  recog- 
nized as  appropriate.  Private  ordination  without  public 
recognition  they  did  not  count  valid,  not  because  the  public 
act  of  ordination  was  considered  spiritually  indispensable, 
but  because  it  was  recognized  as  an  appropriate,  dignified, 
solemn  and  practically  necessary  recognition  of  the  right 
of  the  church  in  an  act  that  concerns  the  whole  body  of 
believers. 

Is  Laying  on  of  Hands  Necessary?  The  imposition  of 
hands  in  ordination  is  a  time-honored  custom  which  ought 
by  no  means  to  be  omitted  in  the  consecration  of  a  min- 
ister of  the  gospel.  Even  if,  as  many  of  the  early  Congre- 
gationalists contended,  the  original  form  of  the  act  was  the 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   MINISTRY 221 

stretching  out  or  the  uplifting  of  the  hand  in  voting,  the 
form  from  New  Testament  times  onward  has  been  well 
established  and  for  generations  has  been  practically  univer- 
sal. A  minister  who  had  conscientious  scruples  against 
the  receiving  of  the  laying  on  of  hands  but  whose  ordina- 
tion otherwise  was  orderly  and  public  and  certified  by 
council  or  Association,  could  not  be  declared  destitute  of 
ministerial  standing;  his  ordination  would  be  counted  as 
irregular  but  not  invalid. 

Laying  on  of  Hands.  There  is  no  command  that  this  practice 
be  continued  in  the  churches,  but  there  is  a  pleasant  fitness  in  it 
which  will  secure  its  continuance  to  the  world's  end.  And — on 
the  whole — Milton  has  well  rendered  the  sense  of  the  Bible  con- 
cerning it,  where  he  says,  "as  for  ordination,  what  is  it,  but  the 
laying  on  of  hands,  an  outward  sign  or  symbol  of  admission?  It 
creates  nothing,  it  confers  nothing;  it  is  the  inward  calling  of  God 
that  makes  a  minister,  and  his  own  painful  study  and  diligence  that 
matures  and  improves  his  ministerial  gifts." — Dexter:  Congrega- 
tionalism, p.  141;  Milton:  Prose  Works,  Bohn's  Ed.,  iii,  p.  78. 

The  way  of  ordaining  officers  ...  is,  after  their  election  by 
the  suffrage  of  the  church,  to  set  them  apart  with  fasting  and 
prayer,  and  imposition  of  the  hands  of  the  eldership  of  the  church, 
though,  if  there  be  no  imposition  of  hands,  they  are  rightly  con- 
stituted  ministers   of   Christ. — Savoy   Synod. 

Who  May  Impose  Hands?  Those  who  laid  hands  on 
Barnabas  and  Saul,  sending  them  forth  as  missionaries 
from  the  church  at  Antioch,  represented  not  the  ministry 
but  the  church  (Acts  13:  1-3).  The  general  custom,  how- 
ever, in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  was  the  laying  on  of 
hands  by  the  presbytery,  that  is,  by  the  elders  or  pastors. 
The  rule  in  Congregationalism  is  not  that  the  minister 
creates  the  church,  but  that  the  church  creates  its  ministry, 
for  the  local  church  having  called  a  council  or  Association 
to  perform  the  act  of  ordination  very  properly  recognizes 
and  indeed  must  recognize  the  right  of  the  churches  repre- 
sented in  the  ministers  present  to  ordain  to  the  ministry 
by  the  laying  on  of  hands. 

Ordination  by  the  People.  Tf  the  apostacy  be  so  general  that 
there  are  not  anywhere  to  be  found  any  true  elders,  yet  then  hath 
the  church  .  .  .  power  to  ordain  their  ministers  by  the  most  fit 
members  and  means  they  have. — Barrowe:  Answer  to  Gifford  in 
Hanbury,  i,  58. 


222        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

The  Confession  of  the  Low  Country  Exiles,  says:  Every  Chris- 
tian congregation  hath  power  and  commandment  to  elect  and  or- 
dain their  own  ministry. — Confession  of  Low  Country  Exiles, 
art.  iii. 

That  ministers  of  one  particular  church  should  ordain  elders 
for  another  church  is  more  unorderly  than  when  every  church  or- 
daineth  them  itself. — Ainsworth:  Reply  to  Johnson. 

Their  ordination  of  officers,  by  deputing  some  out  of  their 
own  body  thereunto  ...  in  a  want  of  officers,  is  an  act  of  this 
power  of  the  keys  residing  in  them. — John  Davenport:  Power  of 
Congregational  Churches. 

Where  elders  cannot  conveniently  be  tiorrowed  from  any  other 
church,  imposition  of  hands  may  lawfully  be  performed  by  some 
principal  men  of  the  congregation,  though  they  be  not  elders  by 
office. — Richard  Mather:  Answer  to  Herle. 

Is  Ordination  Valid  if  Obtained  under  Fraud?     It  is, 

provided  the  ordaining  body  possessed  the  right  to  ordain, 
and  intended  to  ordain,  but  the  discovery  of  the  fraud  should 
result  in  the  immediate  filing  of  charges  against  the  minister 
guilty  of  the  fraud,  and  in  his  deposition  from  the  ministry. 
Until  he  is  deposed,  however,  all  acts  performed  by  him  in 
his  ministerial  capacity  have  the  same  validity  as  if  his  ordi- 
nation had  been  regular. 

Is  Ordination  Performed  by  a  Packed  Council  Valid? 
Whether  an  ordination  is  valid  w^hen  performed  by  a  small 
council  and  one  manifestly  not  representative  of  the 
churches,  is  often  a  difficult  question.  If  the  council  has 
been  regularly  called,  and  the  church  calling  the  council 
is  satisfied  and  accepts  its  finding,  it  is  difficult  to  disprove 
a  valid  ordination.  But  such  ordination  does  not  compel 
an  Association  to  accept  the  man  so  ordained  as  a  Con- 
gregational minister,  nor  can  he  secure  ministerial  standing 
without  membership  in  an  Association. 

Is  There  a  Distinction  Between  Invalid  and  Irregular 
Ordination?  There  is.  An  ordination  performed  by  a  body 
possessing  no  ecclesiastical  right  to  ordain,  is  invalid.  An 
ordination  performed  in  good  faith  by  a  council,  of  which  it 
might  be  discovered  years  afterward  that  a  quorum  was 
lacking,  would  be  irregular;  but  if  upon  the  strength  of  it 
the  minister  had  received  membership  in  an  Association  and 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL   MINISTRY  223 

had  continued  in  good  faith  to  perform  the  functions  of  the 
ministry,  the  ordination  could  not  be  regarded  as  invalid. 

In  the  case  of  a  Congregational  minister  coming  from 
another  body,  whose  forms  were  not  wholly  like  our  own, 
the  question  once  was  raised  whether  a  certain  minister 
should  be  regarded  as  having  been  ordained  or  only  licensed. 
The  Association  receiving  him  to  membership  considered 
that  he  had  been  ordained,  and  he  was  received  as  an 
ordained  minister  and  has  made  good  proof  of  his  ministry. 
A  more  careful  inquiry  probably  would  have  shown  that 
he  should  have  been  regarded  as  a  licentiate  and  there- 
fore should  have  been  ordained.  In  his  case  it  cannot  be 
maintained  that  his  ordination  was  invalid,  though  it  was 
irregular. 

A  prominent  English  Baptist  clergyman,  who  had  been 
ordained  by  the  vote  of  a  local  church  and  without  the 
laying  on  of  hands,  was  called  first  to  a  prominent  Baptist 
church  in  New  York  City  and  after  awhile  to  a  large  Con- 
gregational church  upon  the  Pacific  Coast.  The  council 
for  his  installation  developed  the  fact  that  his  ordination 
had  not  been  in  accordance  with  the  forms  of  our  Congre- 
gational usage.  He  was  nevertheless  installed  as  pastor 
and  became  a  full  member  of  the  District  Association.  His 
ordination  must  be  regarded  as  irregular,  but  not  by  any 
means  invalid. 

Are  Ministerial  Orders  Indelible?  The  doctrine  of  the 
indelibility  of  orders  has  never  found  favor  in  Congrega- 
tionalism. The  Church  can  confer  orders,  and  by  the  same 
authority  can  revoke  them. 

Orders.  We  have  no  such  indelible  character  imprinted  on  a 
minister,  that  he  must  needs  be  so  forever,  because  he  once  was  so. 
His  ministry  ceasing,  the  minister  ceaseth  also. — New  England 
Elders:  Neal:  History  of  the  Puritans,  i,  p.  150. 

What  authority  has  he  to  minister  to  any  church,  if  they  will 
not  hear  him? — Allin  and  Shepard:  in  Hanbury,  iii,  p.  42. 

He  that  is  clearly  loosed  from  his  office-relation  to  that  church 
whereof  he  was  a  minister,  cannot  be  looked  at  as  an  officer,  nor 
perform  any  act  of  office  in  any  other  church,  unless  he  be  again 
called  to  office. — Cambridge  Platform,  ch.  ix,  sec.  7. 


224        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

We  have  no  concernment  in  the  figment  of  an  indelible  char- 
acter .  .  .  yet  we  do  not  leave  the  ministry  w^hen  we  go  from 
home, — John  Owen:  in  Mather's  Magnalia. 

Is  an  Ordinance  Valid  if  the  Minister  Who  Performs  It 
Proves  Unworthy?  An  ordinance  administered  by  a  Con- 
gregational minister  in  good  standing  is  not  rendered  in- 
valid if  he  prove  unworthy.  The  character  of  the  act  is  not 
rendered  nugatory  by  the  unworthiness  of  the  man  who 
performs  it.  We  have  this  treasure  in  earthen  vessels  that 
the  glory  may  be  of  God  and  not  of  men. 

An  unordained  person  pretending  to  an  ordination  which 
he  has  not  received  cannot  perform  valid  acts  as  a  minister 
of  the  gospel,  and  is  liable  to  fine  and  imprisonment  by  the 
civil  courts  for  marriages  attempted  to  be  performed  by 
him. 

May  Congregational  Churches  Provide  for  Limited 
Ordination?  In  the  case  of  a  man  of  Christian  character 
and  fair  ability,  but  of  limited  training,  called  to  the  pas- 
torate of  a  mission  church  which  he  is  qualified  to  serve 
although  unqualified  for  the  general  ministry,  an  act  of 
limited  ordination  would  be  entirely  valid.  Such  ordination 
is  unusual,  but  there  is  no  good  reason  why  it  should  not 
be  practiced  and  made  conditional  upon  a  minister's  con- 
tinuing in  a  certain  field  and  pursuing  certain  courses  of 
study  subject  to  the  direction  of  his  Association.  Should 
he  be  called  to  another  field,  which  in  the  judgment  of  the 
Association  he  ought  to  accept,  he  could  be  transferred 
with  like  conditions  to  the  Association  in  whose  bounds 
he  is  to  labor.  Should  he  make  such  progress  as  in  the 
judgment  of  the  Association  would  warrant  his  complete 
recognition  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  the  conditions  could 
be  removed. 

A  certificate  of  ordination  for  such  a  minister  might  be 
substantially  in  the  following  form : 

To  the Congregational  Church  in _ 

Greeting: 

The  Council  convened  by  your  call  in  letters  missive  dated 
19 ,  has  examined  Mr with 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   MINISTRY  225 

reference  to  his  Christian  experience,  education,  and  call  to  preach, 
and  rejoices  to  find  in  him  an  earnest  and  faithful  man,  with  gifts 
that  in  some  respects  would  qualify  him  for  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try, but  lacking  in  that  degree  of  preparation  which  would  justify 
the  council  in  an  unlimited  ordination.  Believing,  however,  that 
your  call  to  him  is  the  call  of  God  to  preach  to  this  congregation, 
and  administer  the  sacraments  in  this  place,  we  hereby  ordain  him 
to  the  gospel  ministry,  and  recommend  him  to  the  oversight  and 

fellowship  of  the  Congregational  Association, 

of  which  your  church  is  a  member,  to  which  body  he  shall  present 
a  copy  of  this  certificate,  and  pursue  under  its  direction  such 
other  further  studies  as  it  shall  require,  which  we  recommend  shall 
extend  over  not  less  than  three  years. 

This  certificate  is  limited  to  one  year  from  its  date,  and  good 
only  within  the  bounds  of  this  Association,  and  may  be  renewed 
from  year  to  year  at  the  pleasure  of  the  said  Association  on  satis- 
factory proof  that  he  has  met  the  conditions  herein  imposed.  At 
the  end  of  each  annual  examination  before  said  Association,  this 
certificate  shall  have  endorsed  upon  it  such  approval  and  further 
extension  as  the  said  Association  shall  deem  wise;  and  at  the  end 
of  not  less  than  three  years  may  be  recalled  and  for  it  substituted 
a  certificate  of  ordination  without  the  limitations  contained  in  this 
certificate. 

If  before  the  expiration  of  this  certificate  he  shall  remove  from 
the  bounds  of  this  Association,  this  certificate  shall  not  be  valid 
as  a  certificate  of  ordination,  but  he  may  receive  a  certificate  or  let- 
ter of  commendation  as  a  candidate  for  the  ministry,  with  a  state- 
ment of  the  progress  which  he  shall  then  have  made  toward  the 
removal  of  the  conditions  herein  contained. 

Wishing  grace,  mercy  and  peace  to  you  and  to  him,  and  ex- 
horting you  to  assist  him  in  making  full  proof  of  his  ministry,  we 
are,  in  Christian  fellowship. 

For  the  Council, 

Moderator. 

Scribe. 
19 

Such  a  plan  would  have  very  much  to  commend  it.  It 
would  save  us  from  some  very  unhappy  experiences.  It 
might  enable  us  to  use  some  men  to  whom  now  we  arc 
constrained  to  refuse  ordination. 

How  May  a  Minister  of  Another  Denomination  Become 
Congregational?  A  minister  in  another  denomination  may 
become  Congregational  by  taking  successively  all  of  the 
following  steps : 

First,  by  securing  an  honorable  dismission  from  ecclesi- 
astical relationships  with  other  denominations;  secondly, 
by  becoming  a  member  of  a  local  Congregational  church ; 


226        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

thirdly,  by  uniting  with  a  Congregational  Association,  to 
whom  he  must  submit  full  proof  of  his  ministerial  standing. 

Congregational  churches  have  received  some  of  their 
ablest  and  foremost  ministers  from  other  denominations, 
and  have  shown  great  hospitality  in  admitting  them  ad 
eundem  wherever  their  standing  in  other  evangelical  bodies 
has  been  co-ordinate  with  our  own.  We  have  had  abundant 
warnings,  however,  which  justify  a  word  of  caution  about 
receiving  unknown  men  until  all  their  credentials  are  in 
hand  and  their  record  has  been  thoroughly  investigated. 

Should  a  Minister  Received  from  Another  Denomination 
Be  Re-ordained?  A  minister  received  from  another  denom- 
ination bringing  with  him  credentials  certifying  to  his  reg- 
ular ordination  and  good  standing  in  a  denomination  whose 
interpretation  of  the  functions  of  the  ministry  accords  with 
that  of  the  Congregational  churches,  should  not  be  re-or- 
dained; but  if  he  comes  from  a  denomination  whose  own 
interpretation  of  the  functions  of  the  ministry  does  not 
constitute  him  a  minister  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  he  should 
be  re-ordained. 

In  the  case  of  a  minister  who  has  been  ordained  in  a 
denomination  whose  doctrinal  views  are  different  than 
those  of  Congregational  churches,  but  whose  theory  of  the 
ministry  is  essentially  the  same,  he  should  not  be  re-or- 
dained, but  the  council  or  Association  should  thoroughly 
satisfy  itself  of  his  doctrinal  soundness  before  he  is  received 
as  a  Congregational  minister. 

Re-ordination.  Ministers  coming  from  England  were  usually 
re-ordained;  but,  some  of  them  scrupling,  the  churches  have 
elected  them  and  embraced  them,  and  so,  solemnizing  the  trans- 
action with  fasting  and  prayer,  have  enjoyed  them  to  all  evangeli- 
cal intents  and  purposes,  without  their  being  re-ordained  at  all. — 
Cotton  Mather:  Magnalia,  ii,  209. 

May  a  Congregational  Minister  Join  Another  Denom- 
ination? A  Congregational  minister  may  for  good  cause 
unite  with  another  denomination  and  receive  a  letter  of 
dismission  in  good  standing  and  fellowship.  Under  the  plan 
of  union  adopted  in  1801,  Congregational  and  Presbyterian 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   MINISTRY 227 

ministers  have  been  permitted  to  pass  freely  from  one  de- 
nomination to  the  other,  and  the  same  freedom  to  an  extent 
hardly  less  is  enjoyed  between  Congregational  and  certain 
other  denominations. 

Is  Membership  in  an  Association  Necessary  to  Minis- 
terial Character?  Membership  in  an  Association  is  not 
essential  to  ministerial  character,  but  is  essential  to  good 
standing  in  the  Congregational  ministry. 

How  Is  Ministerial  Standing  Maintained?  In  order  to 
maintain  ministerial  standing  a  Congregational  minister 
must  continue  membership  in  a  Congregational  church  and 
in  a  Congregational  Association,  and  must  continue  to 
maintain  good  Christian  character  and  be  faithful  to  the 
work  of  the  ministry. 

How  Is  Ministerial  Standing  Impaired?  Ministerial 
standing  may  be  impaired : 

(a)  By  the  termination  of  membership  in  the  local 
church. 

(b)  By  the  termination  of  membership  in  a  Congrega- 
tional Association. 

(c)  By  any  act  adjudged  either  by  the  local  church  or 
by  the  Association  of  which  he  is  a  member  to  be  incon- 
sistent with  his  standing  as  a  Christian  minister. 

The  anomaly  of  ministerial  standing  residing  in  Asso- 
ciations of  ministers,  and  not  of  ministers  and  churches,  is 
apparent.  Dr.  George  M.  Boynton,  after  noting  that  in 
some  of  the  New  England  states  the  Association  of  min- 
isters, an  entirely  irresponsible  body,  certifies  the  list  of 
its  members  to  the  Year  Book,  justly  remarks: 

And  yet  it  does  not  seem  right  that  a  minister,  who  is  a  mem- 
ber in  good  standing  of  a  Congregational  church,  and  who  has 
been  admitted  to  the  ministry  by  an  ecclesiastical  council  repre- 
senting the  fellowship  of  churches,  should  lose  his  place  on  the 
official  record  by  the  action  of  a  professional  club  or  association; 
and  this  appears  the  more  so,  since  there  is  no  higher  authority 
in  the  states  where  the  ministerial  Association  is  responsible  for 
furnishing  the  list  by  which  his  name  can  be  restored. — Congrega- 
tional Way,  p.  140. 

Is  There  a   Distinction   Between   Ministerial   Standing 


228        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

and  the  Ministerial  Function?  There  is  a  difference  be- 
tween ministerial  standing  and  ministerial  character.  A 
man  who  is  ordained  to  the  ministry  by  competent  ecclesi- 
astical authority  attains  to  ministerial  character  by  virtue 
of  his  ordination,  but  the  question  of  his  ministerial  stand- 
ing still  remains  to  be  determined.  He  may  be  ordained  a 
Methodist,  and  by  that  ordination  he  has  ministerial  char- 
acter among  Baptists,  Presbyterians,  Congregationalists, 
and  all  other  Christian  bodies  who  recognize  the  validity 
of  Methodist  ordination,  but  he  has  ministerial  standing  in 
the  Methodist  church  only.  If  he  becomes  pastor  of  a  Con- 
gregational church  his  name  is  starred  or  bracketed  in  the 
Year  Book,  for  he  has  no  standing  as  a  Congregational  min- 
ister until  he  becomes  a  member  of  a  Congregational  Asso- 
ciation. 

He  is  quite  competent  to  perform  all  functions  of  a  valid 
ministry,  to  administer  the  ordinances  and  to  solemnize 
marriages,  and  he  retains  his  standing  in  the  Methodist 
church  until  he  terminates  his  relationship  there  and  trans- 
fers his  standing  to  the  Congregational  denomination.  After 
he  has  become  a  Congregational  minister  in  good  standing 
he  loses  his  standing  as  a  Methodist  minister,  but  does  not 
lose  his  ministerial  character  among  Methodists.  He  is 
still  recognized  by  Methodists  in  any  ministerial  act  which 
he  may  be  called  upon  to  perform. 

This  distinction  is  important,  and  somewhat  increasingly 
so,  in  view  of  recent  developments  in  our  Congregational 
polity. 

It  was  formerly  held  that  membership  in  a  Congrega- 
tional Association  had  nothing  to  do  with  ministerial  stand- 
ing, but  this  contention,  long  growing  into  desuetude,  be- 
came thoroughly  obsolete  under  the  ruling  of  the  National 
Council  in  1886.  That  ruling,  which  was  not  legislative, 
registered  effectually  the  judgment  of  the  denomination 
that  ministerial  standing  in  the  Congregational  denomina- 
tion requires  three  things:  First,  membership  in  a  Congre- 
gational church ;  second,  ordination  by  a  competent  ecclesi- 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL    MINISTRY  229 

astical  authority;  third,  membership  in  a  Congregational 
Association. 

Under  the  long  since  obsolete  interpretation  of  the  min- 
istry maintained  for  generations  in  New  England,  that  a 
minister  became  a  minister  by  action  of  Council  when 
ordained  and  installed  over  a  church,  and  ceased  to  be  a 
minister  when  dismissed  by  a  council  from  the  pastorate  of 
the  church,  ministerial  standing  and  ministerial  character 
were  identical.  But  when  Congregationalism  extended  itself 
beyond  the  bounds  of  New  England  this  theory  of  the  min- 
istry became  untenable  and  the  denomination  fell  into  the 
inconsistent  practice  of  separating  ministerial  standing  and 
ministerial  character  by  vesting  the  former  in  an  associa- 
tion and  permitting  the  latter  to  remain  in  the  council  of 
Churches,  a  temporary  and  evanescent  body.  Deposition 
from  the  ministry  became  possible  only  by  the  convening 
of  a  new  council  called  for  the  purpose  of  considering 
charges  preferred.  As  a  result,  there  are  notable  instances 
of  ministers  adjudged  immoral  and  expelled  from  associa- 
tions who  continue  to  exercise  all  ministerial  functions. 
The  action  of  the  National  Council  of  1886,  in  defining  min- 
isterial standing,  lacked  completeness  in  not  also  defining 
ministerial  character. 

The  development  of  our  denominational  life  in  time 
made  it  plain  that  the  body  responsible  for  ministerial 
standing,  namely,  the  Association,  must  have  authority  to 
create  ministerial  character.  The  National  Council  in  ses- 
sion at  Cleveland  in  1907  definitely  recognized  the  validity 
of  ordination  by  Association.  One  by  one  the  District 
Associations  are  assuming  this  prerogative,  and,  either  by 
acting  as  ordaining  bodies  or  by  insisting  upon  their  repre- 
sentation in  councils  held  within  their  territorial  bounds, 
are  guarding  the  door  of  entrance  to  the  Congregational 
ministry.  Through  the  Association  the  churches  are  saying 
that  if  the  Association  must  assume  responsibility  for  min- 
isters when  ordained,  the  Association  must  affirm  the  right 
to  be  consulted  and  on  occasion  to  participate  in  the  act  of 


230         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

ordination  itself.  Thus  it  has  come  about  and  it  has  been 
recognized  as  good  Congregational  usage  that  District 
Associations  confer  not  merely  ministerial  standing,  but 
ministerial  character. 

There  is  one  further  inevitable  logical  corollary,  namely, 
that  if  a  Congregational  Association  can  confer  ministerial 
character  it  can  also  terminate  it. 

A  new  order  of  things  began  with  the  National  Council 
of  1907.  The  Chicago  Association,  in  adopting  its  new 
constitution,  gave  frank  recognition  to  this  change  and 
wrought  into  its  organic  law  a  stipulation  that  any  minister 
who  then  was  or  might  thereafter  become  a  member  of 
that  Association  held  his  ministerial  standing  in  that  body 
under  the  condition  that  if  the  Association  should  expel  him 
he  must  cease  to  be  a  minister  of  the  Gospel.  To  this  posi- 
tion Congregational  usage  must  now  speedily  adjust  itself. 
A  minister  suspended  by  an  Association  loses  for  the  time 
being  his  ministerial  standing,  but  a  minister  expelled  from 
the  Association  loses  also  his  ministerial  character.  He  has 
no  authority  to  administer  the  sacraments  and  is  liable  to 
prosecution  if  he  solemnizes  a  marriage.  This  interpreta- 
tion is  independent  of  the  manner  of  his  ordination,  whether 
by  an  independent  Council  of  Churches  or  by  an  Associa- 
tion, whether  within  our  own  fellowship  or  at  the  hands  of 
another  denomination  body.  It  is  the  logical  outcome  of 
the  National  Council  pronouncement  on  ministerial  stand- 
ing in  1886. 

This  inevitable  step,  recognizing  the  right  of  an  associa- 
tion to  depose  an  unworthy  minister,  was  taken  by  the 
National  Council  at  New  Haven  in  1915,  in  its  resolutions 
in  response  to  a  memorial  from  the  State  Conference  of 
Illinois.  These  resolutions  which  were  unanimously  adopted 
and  have  thus  become  the  authoritative  rule  for  the  compila- 
tion of  ministerial  names  for  the  Year  Book  are  as  follows : 

The  National  Council  Resolutions  on  the  Illinois  Memorial. 
Your  Committee  on  Memorials  have  had  placed  in  their  hands  for 
their  consideration  two  memorials  from  the  Illinois  Conference. 
The  Memorial  designated  A  has  reference  to  Ministerial  Standing 


THE   CONGREGATIONAL   MINISTRY  231 

and  Character  and  has  regard  to  the  present  inadequate  definition 
of  the  status  of  ministers  from  whom  fellowship  has  been  with- 
drawn by  District  Associations.  Your  Committee  are  in  entire 
accord  with  the  purport  of  this  report  and  the  intent  of  its  resolu- 
tion, and  submit  the  following  preamble  and  resolution,  and  rec- 
ommend that  they  be  affirmed  by  this  Council: 

"Whereas,  The  National  Council  has  affirmed  that  the  minis- 
terial standing  of  an  ordained  man  is  completed  and  constituted 
only  by  membership  in  a  District  Association  or  State  Conference 
and  is  sustained  by  the  maintenance  of  such  membership. 

"It  Is  Therefore  Voted,  That  the  loss  of  such  membership  for 
good  and  sufficient  cause  is  the  loss  of  ministerial  standing;  that 
no  further  action,  such  as  technical  deposition,  is  required  for  ter- 
minating a  man's  ministerial  character,  and  that  one  who  has  this 
lost  ministerial  standing  and  character  should  no  longer  be  recog- 
nized as  a  minister  or  employed  by  our  churches,  and  his  name 
shall  not  appear  in  the  Year  Book." 

As  germane  to  the  foregoing  resolution,  and  as  an  essential 
corollary,  your  Committee  also  recommend  the  adoption  of  the 
following  resolution: 

"That  a  minister  who  has  been  suspended  from  membership  in 
a  District  Association  or  State  Conference  should  not  be  permitted 
to  exercise  the  functions  of  the  ministry  during  the  period  of  his 
suspension." 

May  a  Congregational  Minister  Demit  His  Office?     A 

Congregational  minister  retiring  from  the  ministry  to  enter 
secular  business  may  demit  the  office  of  the  ministry.  The 
steps  in  this  process  are  the  following : 

(i)  The  resignation  of  his  pastorate,  if  he  be  a  pastor, 
together  with  the  orderly  termination  of  said  pastorate  by 
council,  if  he  has  been  installed  by  council. 

(2)  A  request  made  in  person  or  by  writing  to  the 
Association  of  which  he  is  a  member  that  his  membership 
in  said  Association  terminate  and  that  he  be  given  a  certifi- 
cate that  his  ministerial  standing  ceases  at  his  own  request 
and  in  orderly  manner. 

(3)  A  vote  of  the  Association  granting  him  dismission. 
The  notice  of  his  dismission  may  be  essentially  the  fol- 
lowing form : 

The Congregational  Association  to  Rev _ 

,  Greeting: 

Dear  Brother:     This  is  to  certify  that  at  a  regular  meeting  of 

Association,  held  ,  19 ,  your 

request  for  dismission  in  order  that  you  might  enter  into  other 
business  than  the  ministry  was  duly  presented,  and  you,  being  at 
the  time  in  good  standing  as  a  member  of  this  body,  were  at  your 


232         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

own  request  afifectionately  dismissed  and  relieved  from  further  re- 
sponsibility as  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 

Yours  in  Christian  fellowship, 


Registrar. 

Should  a  Demitted  Minister  Be  Re-ordained?  A  min- 
ister who  has  demitted  his  ministry  and  who  desires  again 
to  preach  should  not  be  re-ordained.  He  should,  however, 
be  fully  examined  by  the  Association  within  whose  bounds 
he  proposes  to  labor  and  for  membership  in  which  he  ap- 
plies, giving  a  full  statement  of  his  reasons  for  withdrawing 
from  the  ministry  and  his  desire  to  return. 

For  instance,  a  minister  whose  health  has  compelled 
him  to  seek  other  employment  with  no  thought  of  returning 
to  the  ministry  may  find  his  health  restored  in  later  years; 
and  he,  discovering  a  need  of  his  service  in  some  particular 
field,  may  desire  to  take  up  again  the  work  of  the  ministry. 
He  should  be  required  to  show  that  during  the  period  in 
which  he  has  engaged  in  secular  business  he  has  maintained 
a  reputation  not  inconsistent  with  his  re-entering  the  min- 
istry, and  that  there  is  a  providential  call  for  him  now  to 
reassume  its  duties.  The  Association,  acting  on  the  request 
of  the  local  church  of  which  he  is  a  member,  or  that  which 
he  is  to  serve,  or  both,  may  reinstate  him  without  re-ordina- 
tion. 

Should  Ministers  in  Secular  Business  Retain  Ministerial 
Standing?  Ministers  who  enter  secular  business  should  not 
retain  ministerial  standing.  Editing  of  a  religious  news- 
paper or  teaching  in  a  Christian  school,  or  acting  as  secre- 
tary or  agent  of  an  accredited  religious  organization,  is  not 
to  be  regarded  as  a  secular  employment.  But  a  commercial 
enterprise  should  not  be  permitted  to  derive  any  secular 
advantage  from  the  use  of  a  ministerial  title.  No  minister 
should  use  the  title.  Reverend,  upon  a  letter  head  or  busi- 
ness card  employed  to  promote  a  secular  business ;  and  any 
minister  who  does  so  may  properly  be  disciplined  by  the 
Association  of  which  he  is  a  member. 

The  foregoing  principles  do  not,  however,  apply  to  a 


THE    CONGREGATIONAL    MINISTRY  233 

minister  earning  his  daily  bread  by  farming  or  other  worthy 
methods  and  giving  such  portion  of  his  time  as  he  is  able 
to  work  that  is  distinctly  religious.  The  Association  can 
and  should  discriminate  between  the  tent-making  minister 
honorably  earning  his  support  in  order  that  he  may  freely 
give  his  service  to  the  churches,  and  the  shrewd  advertiser 
laboring  for  his  own  commercial  gain  and  using  his  min- 
isterial title  as  an  advertisement.  In  the  case  of  the  latter 
person  it  should  not  hesitate  to  request  him  either  to  with- 
draw from  secular  business  and  devote  his  time  to  the  min- 
istry, or  to  demit  his  membership  in  the  Association. 

What  Is  the  Duty  of  a  Minister  Temporarily  Out  of 
Ministerial  Work?  The  case  of  a  minister  not  in  active 
service,  but  who  regards  his  own  withdrawal  as  temporary 
and  who  in  the  meantime  engages  in  secular  pursuits,  is 
often  a  perplexing  one.  Such  a  minister,  if  he  continues  to 
maintain  a  reputation  consistent  with  ministerial  standing, 
may  still  continue  his  membership  in  the  Association  and 
his  standing  in  the  ministry.  In  any  business  into  which 
he  enters  he  should  refrain  from  the  use  of  the  title,  Rev- 
erend, and  should  carefully  avoid  any  appearance  of  using 
his  ministerial  office  for  purposes  of  traffic,  or  of  bringing 
the  ministry  into  contempt. 

What  Is  the  Status  of  a  Retired  Minister?  Ministers 
who  have  retired  from  active  service  by  reason  of  age,  in- 
firmity or  other  honorable  cause,  retain  their  ministerial 
standing.  This,  however,  does  not  apply  to  ministers  who 
demit  their  ministry  in  order  to  enter  into  secular  business. 

What  Is  the  Status  of  Unemployed  Ministers?  Min- 
isters who  have  not  demitted  their  ministry  but  are  unem- 
ployed because  no  man  hired  them  and  who  temporarily 
are  engaged  in  worthy  vocations  other  than  the  ministry, 
do  not  lose  their  ministerial  standing. 

Ministers  Without  Pastoral  Charge.  Fit  men  not  bearing  ofRce 
in  any  church,  but  giving  themselves  to  the  work  of  preaching, 
have  always  been  recognized  among  us  as  ministers  of  the  Word. 
The   ministry,   therefore,   includes   all   who   are   called   of   God  to 


234        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

preach  the  gospel  and  are  set  apart  to  that  work  by  ordination. — 
oston  Platform,  xviii,  i,  1. 

May  There  Be  Distinctions  in  the  Congregational  Min- 
istry? As  the  organization  of  the  church  Hfe  grows  more 
complex  it  is  both  suitable  and  profitable  that  the  work  of 
the  ministry  should  become  more  specialized.  Some  min- 
isters are  by  gifts  and  training  fitted  for  special  work  of 
instruction  or  administration  and  may  be  called  by  the 
church  as  teachers,  editors,  or  home  missionary  superin- 
tendents, and  these  positions  may  be  properly  designated 
by  any  suitable  term.  But  each  position  thus  created  is  an 
office,  not  an  order,  and  gives  to  him  who  holds  it  no  right 
or  title  above  that  of  any  other  Congregational  minister. 
Every  Congregational  pastor  is  by  virtue  of  his  office  the 
peer  of  every  other  Congregational  pastor.  Such  distinc- 
tions as  may  arise  belong  only  to  differences  in  gifts,  char- 
acter, ability  or  training,  and  not  to  the  authority  of  one 
pastor  or  church  official  to  exercise  authority  over  any  other 
pastor  or  his  church.  Even  if  the  limited  ordination  which 
is  suggested  in  a  previous  section  should  come  into  general 
acceptance,  the  minister  so  ordained  would  be,  in  the 
church  or  territory  designated,  and  for  the  period  of  his 
ordination,  the  peer  of  every  other  Congregational  minister. 


XV.    THE  OFFICE  OF  THE  PASTOR 

What  Constitutes  a  Congregational  Pastor?  A  Congre- 
gational pastor  is  an  elder,  presbyter,  and  bishop,  who, 
being  or  having  been  ordained  to  the  work  of  the  gospel 
ministry,  is  called  by  a  particular  church  to  be  its  pastor, 
and  having  accepted  that  call,  and  being  or  becoming  a 
member  of  that  church,  is  recognized  in  the  relation  of 
pastor  by  a  formal  act  of  the  local  church.  The  pastorate 
may  be  constituted,  with  or  without  the  concurrent  action 
of  a  council  of  the  churches  of  the  vicinage,  or  by  the 
District  Association  to  which  the  church  belongs. 

An  ordination  requires  the  concurrent  action  of  the 
churches  of  the  vicinage.  Such  concurrence  is  appropriate 
but  not  indispensable  in  the  settlement  of  a  minister  already 
ordained. 

The  Pastoral  Office.  The  New  Testament  idea  of  a  Christian 
church  is  of  a  brotherhood  guided  and  led  by  one  of  its  own  mem- 
bers, in  whom  all  have  so  much  confidence  and  love  as  to  entrust 
him,  under  Christ,  with  the  responsibility  of  the  pastoral  office; — 
one  whose  interests  will  be  identical  with  theirs,  and  who  will 
"dwell  among  his  own  people";  who  will  be  such  a  shepherd  of 
the  flock  that  the  sheep  will  follow  him  because  they  know  his 
voice.  But  he  that  is  an  hireling  and  not  the  shepherd,  whose  own 
the  sheep  are  not,  seeth  the  wolf  coming  and  leaveth  the  sheep 
and  fleeth;  and  the  wolf  catcheth  them,  and  scattereth  the  sheep. 
The  hireling  fleeth  because  he  is  an  hireling,  and  careth  not  for 
the  sheep.  The  more  feeble  a  flock  may  be,  the  more  it  needs  the 
tender  care  of  a  shepherd,  who  loves  it  because  it  is  his  own,  and 
who  is  even  willing  to  give  his  life  for  the  sheep.  And  the  more 
feeble  a  church  may  be,  the  more  it  needs  the  service  of  a  pastor; 
who  will  make  its  lot  his  own,  who  is  willing  to  spend  and  be 
spent  for  it,  who  is  not  mainly  occupied  in  looking  out  for  a  better 
place  for  himself  elsewhere,  but  whose  whole  soul  is  intent  upon 
the  growth  in  grace  of  the  people  of  God  and  the  conversion  of 
sinners  there. — Dexter:  Congregationalism,  pp.  152,  153. 

How  Is  a  Pastor  Called?  A  minister  is  called  to  be  the 
pastor  of  a  church  by  specific  vote  of  the  church  according 
to  the  method  prescribed  in  its  constitution  or  rules.  The 
call  should  be  duly  certified  by  the  clerk  of  the  church,  and, 
if  a  pastoral  committee  is  appointed,  by  the  committee  also. 
If  there  is  a  society  or  parish  in  connection  with  the  church, 


236         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

the  concurrent  vote  of  the  society  or  parish  is  necessary 
to  make  the  call  effective.  The  parish  or  society  cannot  of 
itself  issue  a  call,  but  may  defeat  the  call  of  the  church  by 
refusing  to  concur  or  by  failure  to  provide  means  for  carry- 
ing out  the  will  of  the  church.  The  call  having  been  duly 
extended  should  be  formally  made  out  in  writing,  and  cer- 
tified, and  sent  to  the  pastor  elect.  If  he  is  not  already 
ordained,  the  call  should  include  an  invitation  to  him  to 
join  the  church  in  calling  a  council  or  a  meeting  of  the 
Association  for  ordination.  If  he  is  to  be  installed  or  recog- 
nized, the  call  should  ask  his  concurrence  in  the  call  of  the 
council  or  invitation  of  the  Association  for  this  purpose. 
The  call  may  state  the  date  at  which  the  church  desires 
the  pastoral  relation  to  begin,  but  the  privilege  of  fixing 
that  date  belongs  to  the  pastor  elect,  who  in  accepting  the 
call  must  first  provide  for  orderly  dismission  from  his  pres- 
ent pastorate  or  other  duties  in  order  to  consummate  a 
beginning  of  his  new  relationship.  The  methods  of  recog- 
nizing the  pastor's  relation  to  the  church  will  be  treated 
under  the  general  headings  of  Councils  and  Associations. 

The  Pastor  a  Member.  There  is  a  seasonable  care  taken,  that, 
if  the  candidate  were  a  member  of  some  other  church,  he  have  his 
dismission  (his  relation  declared  to  be  transferred);  that,  as  near 
as  may  be,  according  to  the  primitive  direction,  they  may  choose 
from  among  themselves. — C.  Mather:  Ratio  Disc,  p.  22. 

The  person  called  ought  to  be  a  member;  for  to  constitute  a 
non-member  in  office  is  contrary  to  the  rules  of  any  corporate 
society.  None  can  be  an  officer  of  a  corporation,  but  he  that  is 
incorporate  first  as  a  member. — Isaac  Chauncy:  Divine  Inst.  Cong. 
Chs.,  p.  65. 

Hearing  Candidates.  The  most  foolish,  and  perhaps  the  easiest 
way,  is  to  open  the  pulpit  to  a  succession  of  candidates  to  be  heard 
and  compared,  with  the  idea  of  selecting  the  best.  This  is  usually 
disastrous  in  its  process  and  in  its  result.  A  foolish  choice  is  often 
made  of  the  man  who  preaches  with  the  most  ease  and  happens 
at  the  time  to  interest  the  people.  If  his  antecedents  are  in  such 
cases  not  carefully  examined,  a  church  depending  simply  on  such 
candidating  may  secure  or  be  secured  by  an  unworthy  man  without 
character  or  record,  who  sooner  or  later  will  reveal  himself  and 
work  great  harm.  Indeed,  under  the  most  favorable  circumstances 
this  process  often  defeats  itself.  Many  of  the  best  and  rnost  self- 
respecting  ministers  will  not  enter  into  any  such  competition.  If 
three  of  the  best  preachers  possible  were  to  succeed  each  other  in 


THE   OFFICE   OF  THE   PASTOR  237 

the  same  pulpit  with  a  view  to  a  call,  the  congregation  would  be 
sure  to  be  divided  between  them,  some  preferring  one  and  some 
another,  when  they  could  have  heartily  united  upon  either.  Usually 
in  such  cases  all  three  would  probably  be  dropped,  and  the  church, 
dreading  a  repetition  of  its  experience,  unite  hastily  upon  some  one 
far  inferior  to  any  of  those  thus  set  aside. 

The  best  way  of  proceeding  is  for  the  church  to  elect  a  com- 
mittee to  find  a  pastor,  making  it  large  enough  to  be  represent- 
ative, putting  in  it  the  best  and  wisest  men,  if  possible,  some  one 
at  least  who  knows  men  and  has  facilities  for  a  somewhat  wide 
correspondence.  There  will  usually  be  a  sufficient  number  of  sug- 
gestions. Let  this  committee  take  advice  from  the  most  judicious 
men  in  the  ministry  and  perhaps  even  more  in  the  laity.  There 
is  a  Board  of  Pastoral  Supply  in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  and  sim- 
ilar agencies  in  some  other  states,  to  which  it  is  wise  to  apply  for 
suggestions  and  for  testimony  as  to  men  suitable  to  fill  the  vacancy. 
Let  this  committee  first  investigate  the  previous  record  of  each 
person,  as  a  student,  or  minister,  going  no  further,  if  the  result 
of  the  inquiry  is  not  satisfactory.  Let  some  of  them  at  least  hear 
him  preach  in  his  own  pulpit,  or  in  some  other  than  their  own, 
and,  when  they  are  thoroughly  united,  let  them  present  his  name 
to  the  people  as  their  nominee,  securing  him  to  preach  to  them  if 
possible.  If  the  committee  has  been  at  all  wise,  there  is  every 
probability  that  its  choice  will  be  ratified  by  the  church,  unless 
new  facts  appear,  or  there  is  general  disappointment  at  the  last, 
which  the  committee  will  probably  share. — Boynton:  The  Congre- 
gational Way,  pp.  91-92. 

As  It  Was  in  Early  New  England.  In  some  Churches  of  the 
Reformation,  (bordering  upon  Switzerland)  the  People,  after  the 
public  Performances  of  a  Candidate  have  recommended  him  to 
them,  Chuse  him  for  their  Pastor;  Whereupon  the  Minister  only 
preaches  an  Inauguration  Sermon,  and  so  without  any  further 
Ceremonies  of  Ordination,  goes  on  with  the  Exercise  of  his  Min- 
istry. 'Tis  not  so  in  the  Churches  of  New  England;  except  a  Per- 
son has  been  once  already  ordained.  But  in  this  case,  a  Minister 
(suppose  removing  from  a  Church  here,  or  in  some  other  Country, 
where  he  has  been  already  ordained),  being  elected  and  Invited 
unto  the  Pastoral  charge  in  any  of  these  Churches  a  Day  of 
Prayer  is  kept,  and  the  Choice  renewed,  and  the  Charge  accepted, 
in  the  Presence  of  Delegates  from  other  churches.  And  no  further 
imposition  of  hands  is  used  for  his  Instalment. — Cotton  Mather: 
Discipline  in  the  Churches  of  New  England,  1726;  pp.  41,  42. 

The  Call  of  a  Pastor  in  Old  New  England.  Towards  the  end  of 
the  day,  one  of  the  Elders  of  the  Church  (if  they  have  any),  if 
not,  one  of  the  graver  Brethren  of  the  Church  (appointed  by  them- 
selves to  order  the  worke  of  the  day)  standeth  up  and  inquireth 
of  the  Church,  If  now  after  this  solemne  seeking  of  God  for  his 
counsell  and  direction  in  this  weightie  work,  they  still  continue  in 
their  purpose,  to  elect  such  a  one  for  their  own  Pastor,  or  Teacher, 
or  Ruling  Elder,  whom  before  they  agreed  upon;  Then  having 
taken  their  silence  for  a  consent  to  their  purpose.  He  proceedeth 
to  inquire  into  the  approbation  of  the  rest  of  the  Assembly,  not 


238        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

onely  the  Messengers,  and  Brethren  of  other  Churches,  but  of  all 
that  stand  by;  because  an  Elder  is  to  be  a  man  of  good  report  of 
them  that  are  without  (I  Tim.  3:  7)  how  much  more  well  approved 
of  the  Churches  of  Christ?  He  demandeth  therefore  of  the  Churches 
first,  and  then  of  the  rest,  whether  any  of  them  have  knowne  of 
any  evill,  in  the  man  presented  before  them,  either  in  judgement, 
or  practice,  which  might  give  them  just  cause  to  forbeare  his  elec- 
tion? If  all  keepe  silence  (as  usually  they  doe,  for  if  any  have  any 
just  exception  against  the  man,  he  is  wont  to  acquaint  some  other 
of  the  Church  with  it  before  thee  day)  he  turneth  himselfe  to  the 
Church  againe.  Now  seeing  all  is  clear  for  their  free  election  of 
him  to  such  an  office,  he  desireth  all  the  Brethren  of  that  Church, 
to  declare  their  election  of  him  with  one  accord,  by  lifting  up  their 
hands. — John  Cotton:  The  Way  of  the  Churches,  London,  1645,  pp. 
40,  41. 

Right  of  Church  to  a  Doctrinal  Statement  from  Candidate.  It 
is  no  unwarrantable  assumption  for  any  congregation  to  require  of 
the  candidate  for  its  pastorate  a  full  statement  made  to  them  of  hit 
doctrinal  belief  and  religious  experience. 

Besides 'his  primary  allegiance  to  Christ,  and  his  secondary  re- 
sponsibility to  his  own  church,  the  Congregational  minister  has  a 
certain  tertiary  allegiance  and  responsibility  to  the  Church  ol 
Christ  at  large. — Ladd:  Principles  Church  Polity,  p.  225. 

Modern  Congregationalism  reverses  the  order  of  Dr. 
Ladd's  "secondary"  and  "tertiary"  responsibilities.  A 
church  has,  indeed,  a  right  to  demand  that  a  candidate  for 
its  pastorate  shall  undergo  examination  by  the  church  itself; 
but  few  ministers  would  submit  to  such  an  examination 
as  is  here  proposed. 

May  a  Call  Be  Extended  for  a  Limited  Time?  Ordi- 
narily and  historically  our  Congregational  churches  call 
their  pastors  without  time  limitation,  the  pastoral  relation 
to  be  continued  until  terminated  by  mutual  consent.  A 
church  may,  however,  call  a  minister  for  a  year  or  other 
definite  period  of  time.  This  practice  is  followed  in  many 
churches,  but  is  earnestly  to  be  discouraged.  The  annual 
election  oiTers  an  ideal  opportunity  for  mischief-makers,  and 
is  a  fruitful  source  of  uneasiness  in  the  pastoral  relation, 
resulting  in  short  and  ineffective  pastorates  and  the  weak- 
ening of  the  pastoral  tie.  If  the  church  is  reluctant  to 
commit  itself  to  a  pastoral  relationship  without  limit,  it 
may  reserve  the  right  to  terminate  the  pastorate  on  three 
or  six  months'  notice,  giving  to  the  pastor  the  same  privi- 
lege. 


THE   OFFICE   OF  THE   PASTOR  239 

Do  Congregational  Churches  Have  Ruling  Elders?  The 
.ruling  elders  of  Congregational  churches  are  the  same  as 
teaching  elders,  namely,  ministers.  The  early  efforts  to 
maintain  ruling  elderships  distinct  from  teaching  elderships 
did  not  prove  successful  and  were  abandoned.  Pastors  and 
deacons  appear  to  be  all  the  officers  required  for  the  orderly 
conduct  of  the  affairs  of  Congregational  churches. 

Ruling  Elders.  To  the  question  whether  in  the  primitive 
churches  there  were  two  classes  of  elders,  formally  distinguished 
from  each  other  as  "ruling  elders"  and  "teaching  elders,"  Dr. 
Lightfoot  appears  to  have  given  an  accurate  answer  in  the  follow- 
ing passage:  "The  duties  of  the  presbyters  were  twofold.  They 
were  both  rulers  and  instructors  of  the  congregation.  This  double 
function  appears  in  St.  Paul's  expression  'pastors  and  teachers' 
(Eph.  4:  11),  where,  as  the  form  of  the  original  seems  to  show,  the 
two  words  describe  the  same  office  under  different  aspects. 
Though  government  was  probably  the  first  conception  of  the  office, 
yet  the  work  of  teaching  must  have  fallen  to  the  presbyters  from 
the  very  first,  and  have  assumed  greater  prominence  as  time  went 
on.  With  the  growth  of  the  Church  the  visits  of  the  apostles  and 
evangelists  to  any  individual  community  must  have  become  less 
and  less  frequent,  so  that  the  burden  of  instruction  would  be 
gradually  transferred  from  these  missionary  preachers  to  the  local 
officers  of  the  congregation.  Hence  St.  Paul,  in  two  passages 
where  he  gives  directions  relating  to  bishops  or  presbyters,  insists 
specially  on  the  faculty  of  teaching  as  a  qualification  for  the  posi- 
tion (I  Tim.  3:2;  Tit.  1:9).  Yet  even  here  this  work  seems  to  be 
regarded  rather  as  incidental  to  than  as  inherent  in  the  office.  In 
the  one  epistle  he  directs  that  double  honour  shall  be  paid  to  those 
presbyters  who  have  ruled  well,  but  especially  to  such  as  'labour 
in  word  and  doctrine,'  as  though  one  holding  this  office  might 
decline  the  work  of  instruction.  In  the  other,  he  closes  the  list  of 
qualifications  with  the  requirement  that  the  bishop  (or  presbyter) 
hold  fast  the  faithful  word  in  accordance  with  the  apostolic  teach- 
ing 'that  he  may  be  able  both  to  exhort  in  the  healthy  doctrine 
and  to  confute  gainsayers,'  alleging  as  a  reason  the  pernicious 
activity  and  growing  numbers  of  the  false  teachers.  Nevertheless 
there  is  no  ground  for  supposing  that  the  work  of  teaching  and 
the  work  of  governing  pertained  to  separate  members  of  the  pres- 
byteral  college.  As  each  had  his  special  gift,  so  would  he  devote 
himself  more  or  less  exclusively  to  the  one  or  the  other  of  these 
sacred  functions"  ("Epistle  to  the  Philippians,"  pp.  192,  193). 

Paul's  words  in  I  Tim.  5:  17  seem  decisive  in  favour  of  the 
theory  that  in  the  apostolic  churches  there  were  "elders"  or  "bish- 
ops" who  did  not  give  public  instruction  to  the  congregation.  On 
the  other  hand,  he  describes  it  as  a  necessary  qualification  of  the 
"bishop"  that  he  should  be  "apt  to  teach"  (I  Tim.  2:2),  and  "able 
both  to  exhort  in  the  sound  doctrine,  and  to  convict  the  gain- 
sayers" (Tit.  1:9).  The  passage  from  Dr.  Lightfoot  suggests  the 
explanation  of  the  apparent  contradiction.     In  the  earlier  days  it 


240         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

may  have  been  difficult  to  find  several  men  in  every  church  who 
united  qualifications  for  exercising  pastoral  rule  with  qualifications 
for  giving  public  pastoral  instruction;  but  to  place  a  church  under 
strong  pastoral  influence  was  indispensable,  and,  therefore,  "elders," 
"bishops,"  were  appointed  who  could  not  "labour  in  word  and 
doctrine."  As  time  went  on,  there  would  be  a  larger  number  of 
men  with  a  sufficient  knowledge  of  Christian  truth  to  enable  them 
to  discharge  the  functions  both  of  teaching  and  governing.  Paul 
therefore  charges  Timothy  and  Titus  to  require  that  the  "elders" 
or  "bishops"  should  be  able  to  teach  as  well  as  rule.  There  had 
never,  as  Dr.  Lightfoot  says,  been  any  formal  distinction  between 
"ruling"  and  "teaching"  elders;  Paul  now  thinks  it  desirable  that 
every  "elder"  should  teach. 

But  the  question  whether  there  should  be  "ruling  elders"  who 
do  not  teach  is  evidently  one  of  those  questions  of  expediency 
which  the  church  is  free  to  determine  according  to  its  varying 
circumstances.  What  seems  important  is  that  the  pastor  should 
not  rule  alone,  but  should  have  associated  with  him  church  officers 
who  share  the  functions  of  government,  and  among  whom  he 
simply  presides.  This  seems  to  have  been  the  uniform  practice 
of  the  apostolic  churches,  and  there  are  obvious  reasons  for  per- 
petuating it.  At  first  some  elders  were  able  to  teach,  and  some 
were  not;  some  were,  in  fact,  only  ruling  elders;  others  both  ruled 
and  taught.  When  it  became  possible  to  secure  elders  who  were 
qualified  for  both  functions,  Paul  told  Timothy  that  those  should 
be  elected  who  were  "apt  to  teach"  as  well  as  able  to  rule.  It 
would  be  well  if  in  all  churches  all  the  elders,  whether  called  elders 
or  deacons,  were  able  to  exhort  and  instruct  the  church;  but,  if 
the  double  qualification  cannot  be  secured  in  all,  we  are  free  to 
fall  back  on  the  practice  of  the  churches  in  their  earliest  stage, 
and  have  "elders,"  under  whatever  name,  who  can  govern,  but 
some  of  whom  cannot  teach,  associated  with  an  elder — the  pastor — 
who  can  do  both. 

Many  of  the  earlier  Congregationalists  were  favorable  to  the 
appointment  of  "ruling  elders";  the  objection  to  the  title  is  that  it 
seems  to  restrain  these  particular  elders  from  the  right  to  use 
what  powers  they  may  possess  for  instructing  and  exhorting  their 
brethren. — Dale:  Manual,  pp.  117-119. 

Ruling  Elders  in  Congregational  Churches.  About  1616  Henry 
Jacob  returned  to  London  from  a  varied  experience  on  the  Con- 
tinent, and  organized  the  first  Congregational  church  in  England 
which  has  left  any  traceable  direct  descent  to  the  present  time.  It 
was  naturally  a  Barrowistic  body.  So  were  those  which  grew  up 
by  its  side,  whose  outnumbered  pastors  gave  the  Presbyterians  so 
hard  a  fight  in  the  Westminster  Assembly. 

On  this  side  of  the  sea.  Cotton,  Davenport,  and  Hooker  shared 
the  bitter  old  misconception  and  prejudice  which  had  followed 
poor  Browne  in  his  renegade  retirement;  knew  what  his  system 
was — his  books  having  disappeared  from  public  knowledge  alto- 
gether— only  from  the  misrepresentations  of  his  enemies;  and — 
led  on  in  large  part  by  too  close  an  interpretation  of  a  few  pas- 
sages like  Romans  12:6-8;  I  Cor.  12:28;  I  Tim.  5:17,  etc.— they 
established  Barrowism  as  the  type  of  New  England  Congregation- 


THE  OFFICE    OF  THE  PASTOR  241 

alism.  As  such  it  went  into  the  Cambridge  Platform,  where  it 
especially  blossoms  in  the  eleventh  section  of  the  tenth  chapter, 
as  follows: 

"From  the  Premises,  namely,  That  the  ordinary  power  of  Gov- 
ernment belonging  only  to  the  Elders,  power  of  priviledge  remain- 
cth  with  the  brotherhood  ...  it  followeth,  that  in  an  organick 
Church,  and  right  administration,  all  Church  acts  proceed  after  the 
manner  of  a  mixt  administration,  so  as  no  Church  act  can  be  con- 
summated, or  perfected,  without  the  consent  of  both." 

What  this  "power  of  privilege"  amounted  to  is  made  clear  by 
the  eighth  section  of  the  same  chapter,  where  we  read  that  when 
the  elders  have  called  the  church  together  upon  any  weighty  occa- 
sion "the  members  so  called  may  not  without  just  cause  [the  Elders 
being  judges]  refuse  to  come;  nor  when  they  are  come,  depart 
before  they  are  dismissed;  nor  speak  in  the  Church  before  they 
have  leave  from  the  Elders;  nor  continue  so  doing  when  they  [the 
Elders]  require  silence;  nor  may  they  oppose  nor  contradict  the 
judgment  or  sentence  of  the  Elders  without  [what  those  Elders 
concede  to  be]  sufficient  and  weighty  cause;  because  such  practices 
are  manifestly  contrary  unto  order  and  government,  and  in-lets  of 
disturbance,  and  tend  to  confusion." 

Beautiful  in  theory  as  Barrowe  thought  this  must  be  in  the 
eye  of  every  truly  good  man,  and  well-balanced  as  John  Cotton 
conceived  it  ought  to  prove  in  practice,  New  England  never  really 
took  to  it.  It  may  be  doubtful  if  a  single  church  here  ever  fully 
furnished  itself  with  elders  according  to  Barrowe's  ideal;  and  it 
proved  in  practice  excessively  difficult  to  obtain  fit  men  to  serve 
in  an  office  at  once  so  exacting,  so  unsatisfying,  and  so  liable  to 
be  unpopular.  The  pastors,  however,  for  a  long  time  proved  equal 
to  the  emergency,  and  made  up  in  quality  of  assumption  for  quan- 
tity of  eldership.  In  many  cases,  after  ruling  elders  had  altogether 
ceased  to  be  attempted  to  be  chosen,  the  pastor  assumed  to  himself 
solely  the  function  constitutionally  assigned  to  a  session  of  which 
theoretically  he  was  but  a  single  member,  and,  in  virtue  of  the 
eleventh  section  above  cited,  claimed  and  exercised  the  right  to 
veto  all  church  action  which  displeased  him;  on  the  ground  that 
"no  church  act  can  be  consummated,  or  perfected,  without  th« 
consent  of  both." 

I  need  not  suggest  that  such  a  condition  of  affairs  was  not  a 
wholesome  one  for  religion  here.  It  was  no  strange  thing  that 
unrest  followed.  It  would  be  too  long  a  story  for  this  page  how 
God  raised  up  John  Wise  of  Ipswich,  and,  two  generations  later, 
Nathaniel  Emmons  of  Franklin,  by  whose  masterful  logic,  and 
powerful  influence,  the  churches  were  carried  back  to  New  Testa- 
ment times,  and  Congregationalism — although  these  men  scarcely 
knew  the  precise  quality,  or  the  full  value,  of  that  which  they  were 
doing — once  more  consistently  planted  upon  the  foundations 
which  Robert  Browne  had  elaborated  for  it  in  Norwich  three  hun- 
dred years  ago.  There  was  a  difference  in  philosophy;  none  at 
all  in  the  result.  The  world  had  been  drifting  toward  democracy. 
And  Wise  and  Emmons  both  demonstrated,  with  irresistible  clear- 
ness and  force,  that  democracy  is  not  only  a  sound,  but  the  best, 
government,   whether   for    Church    or    State.      So    that    the   votes 


242        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

which  in  Robert  Browne's  little  church  at  Middelberg  its  members 
gave  not  in  their  own  right,  but  as  vicegerents  of  Christ,  the  mem- 
bers of  our  American  churches  now  give,  under  some  solemn  sense 
of  fealty  to  the  Master  indeed,  and  with  supreme  desire  to  please 
Him,  yet  humbly  as  of  their  own  right  under  Him,  as  being  intel- 
ligent and  responsible  members  of  a  spiritual  commonwealth,  each 
one  of  whom  must  give  account  before  God  for  the  use  of  the 
talents  and  gifts  with  which  he  has  been  endowed. — Dexter:  Hand- 
book, 9-11. 

What  Is  a  Collegiate  Pastor?  A  collegiate  pastor  is  one 
of  several  colleagues  in  the  plural  pastorate  of  a  single 
church,  or  a  federate  group  of  churches  having  a  common 
basis  of  authority  and  control. 

What  Is  an  Assistant  Pastor?  An  assistant  pastor  is 
an  ordained  minister  called  by  the  church  to  share  in  the 
responsibility  and  work  of  the  pastor,  and  subject  to  his 
direction.  His  position  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  is  equal 
to  that  of  the  pastor,  but  his  position  in  the  pastorate  of 
the  local  church  is  subordinate,  and  his  is  a  delegated 
authority.  The  pastoral  work  should  be  so  divided  that 
he  shall  have  certain  departments  of  work  in  which  he  is 
free  to  exercise  initiative,  but  subject  to  the  general  direc- 
tion of  the  pastor. 

What  Is  a  Pastor's  Assistant?  A  pastor's  assistant  is 
not  an  assistant  pastor.  He  may  or  may  not  be  an  ordained 
minister.  He  is  not  commonly  called  by  the  church,  but  in 
general  is  selected  by  the  pastor,  or  by  the  pastor  and  dea- 
cons on  the  approval  of  the  church.  There  is  a  growing 
and  commendable  custom  of  employing  trained  women  as 
pastors'  assistants. 

What  Is  an  Acting  Pastor?  An  acting  pastor  is  a  min- 
ister called  by  the  church  for  a  limited  period  during  the 
absence  or  disability  of  the  pastor,  or  between  pastorates. 

Commonly  it  is  understood  that  an  acting  pastor  is  not 
a  candidate  for  the  permanent  pastorate.  A  definite  under- 
standing on  this  point  has  often  saved  embarrassment  to 
both  parties,  even  though  in  some  cases  it  has  later  come  to 
pass  that  the  acting  pastorate  became  a  very  happy  and 
fruitful   permanent   pastorate.      During  the   period   of  his 


THE   OFFICE   OF   THE   PASTOR  243 


acting  pastorate  the  incumbent  may  be  authorized  by  the 
church  to  represent  it  in  councils. 

What  Is  a  Pastoral  Supply?  A  pastoral  supply  is  a 
minister  or  licentiate  temporarily  invited  to  conduct  serv- 
ices and  to  perform  pastoral  functions  to  v^hich  his  ecclesi- 
astical standing  may  entitle  him.  In  some  communions  he 
is  called  a  locum  tenens.  He  may  or  may  not  be  an  ordained 
minister,  and  may  be  a  minister  of  another  denomination. 
If  he  be  an  ordained  minister  the  church  can  authorize  him 
during  the  period  of  his  supply  to  perform  w^ithin  it  any 
ministerial  functions  which  it  may  direct,  and  if  he  be  a 
Congregational  minister  it  may  make  him  its  ministerial 
representative  in  a  particular  council. 

May  a  Church  Employ  a  Non-Congregational  Supply? 
A  church  may  employ  a  pastoral  supply  who  is  not  a  Con- 
gregationalist,  but  in  such  cases  reasonable  caution  should 
be  exercised.  Two  recent  cases  have  come  to  the  personal 
knowledge  of  the  author  in  which  a  man  has  been  employed 
as  pastoral  supply  who  was  not  a  member  of  a  Congrega- 
tional church  or  of  any  Congregational  Association  and 
who  proved  unworthy.  As  no  Congregational  body  was 
authorized  to  certify  his  standing,  so  none  was  authorized 
to  try  him  and  depose  him.  Only  those  men  should  be 
employed  for  whom  some  evangelical  body  is  responsible. 

What  Is  the  Pastor's  Duty  as  Preacher?  The  first 
duty  of  a  pastor  is  the  preaching  of  the  gospel.  For  this 
work  he  should  make  diligent  preparation,  earnestly  search- 
ing the  Scriptures  that  he  may  know  and  proclaim  the  truth 
and  bringing  forth  out  of  his  treasures  things  new  and  old. 
He  should  separate  himself  from  all  worldly  callings  that 
can  interfere  with  his  success  as  a  preacher,  or  encroach 
upon  his  time,  or  diminish  his  opportunity  for  study.  He 
should  so  care  for  his  health  and  exercise  his  voice  that  he 
may  effectively  present  the  gospel  to  his  people. 

What  Is  the  Pastor's  Function  as  Teacher?  In  the  early 
Congregational  churches  there  was  little  if  any  attempt  to 
combine  in  one  man  the  office  of  pastor  and  teacher.     A 


244        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

plural  ministry  was  the  rule,  with  one  man  as  pastor  and 
another  as  teacher.  But  this  division  of  labor  did  not 
always  work  well,  and  the  office  of  teacher  proved  unprac- 
tical. It  therefore  became  customary  in  calling  a  minister 
to  state  in  the  call  that  he  was  to  be  "pastor  and  teacher," 
and  this  is  the  customary  form  in  modern  Congregational- 
ism. In  large  churches  with  more  than  one  minister,  it  is 
customary  to  choose  an  assistant  with  reference  to  his 
ability  as  teacher,  but  he  is  commonly  an  associate  or 
assistant  pastor,  the  responsibility  for  the  teaching  still 
residing  in  the  pastor. 

Is  the  Office  of  Teacher  Distinct  from  That  of  Pastor?  Good- 
win, in  his  Church  Government,  answers  the  plea  that  they  were 
one  and  the  same,  by  insisting  that  the  Greeks  used  kai  dis- 
junctively at  the  end  of  a  disjunctive  enumeration,  and  apphes  it  to 
Eph.  4:11.  Cambridge  Platform  says:  "The  office  of  pastor  and 
teacher  appears  to  be  distinct."  (See  ib.  on  Pastor,  his  office.) 
Johnson,  in  his  Treatise  on  the  Reformed  Churches,  argues  that 
they  are  distinct,  from  Eph.  4:  11;  I  Cor.  12:  5,  6;  with  Rom.  12:  7, 
8.  He  says  that  the  distinctive  particle  is  used  in  Eph.  4:  11,  in 
the  Syriac  translation,  which  is  the  oldest.  Baillie  says:  "The  In- 
dependents were  for  a  doctor  in  every  congregation,  as  well  as  a 
pastor.  .  .  .  The  absolute  necessity  of  a  doctor  was,  however, 
eschewed  (by  the  Westminster  Assembly);  yet,  where  two  ministers 
could  be  had,  one  was  allowed,  according  to  his  gift,  to  apply  him- 
self more  to  teaching,  and  the  other  to  exhortation,  according  to 
the  Scriptures."  Cotton  Mather,  in  his  Ratio  Disciplinse,  says  that, 
"when  there  were  two  ministers  to  a  church,  one  of  them  was  for- 
merly distinguished  by  the  name  of  teacher.  .  .  .  More  lately, 
the  distinction  is  less  regarded;  their  being  mentioned  so  as  they 
are  together  in  the  Sacred  Oracles  (Eph.  4:11)  pleaded  for  little 
short  of  an  identity  between  them."  The  distinction  has  now  gone 
into  practical  disuse.  (See  Punchard's  View,  80.)  I.  Chauncy  con- 
tends that  "the  pastoral  office  comprehends  the  whole  ministry  of 
the  church;  but  if,  by  reason  of  infirmity,  or  the  size  of  the  church, 
the  pastor  is  unable  to  do  the  whole  work,  he  may  have  aid  or 
helps — a  teacher  to  aid  him  in  preaching,  or  a  ruling  elder  to  as- 
sist in  ruling.  He  that  is  called  to  concur  with  the  pastor  in  teach- 
ing, waits  on  that  service,  I  Pet.  4:  10,  11;  and  he  that  is  called 
on  to  concur  with  him  in  ruling  is  to  wait  on  that  work  especially." 
— Cummings:  Cong.  Diet.,  Teacher. 

Is  the  Congregational  Pastor  a  Prophet?    The  Christian 

ministry   perpetuates   not   the   priestly   but   the   prophetic 

office  of  the  church.    Although  the  minister  have  and  must 

have  a  constant  ministry  of  intercession  for  others,  yet  is 

his  office  that  of  a  proclaimer  of  the  truth.     Neither  in  his 


THE    OFFICE    OF   THE   PASTOR  245 

case  nor  in  that  of  the  earlier  prophets  is  his  ministry 
largely  one  of  prediction.  He  is  not  a  foreteller  but  a 
forth-teller.  To  him  the  Spirit  of  God  is  given  that  he  may 
interpret  things  as  they  are  in  process  of  coming  to  pass. 

Ministerial  Leadership.  In  our  Congregational  theory  the 
church  is  first  of  all,  composed  of  ordinary  men  and  women  who 
love  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  unite  for  service  in  his  name. 
This  theory,  as  held  in  completeness  and  consistency  by  us,  dis- 
tinguishes our  polity.  Out  of  the  church  comes  the  specialized 
ministry  of  religion.  Needing  instructors  and  leaders,  the  church 
lays  hands  on  a  sufficient  number  and  puts  them  forth.  They  in 
turn  are  evermore  responsible  to  the  church  and  depend  upon  her 
for  opportunity  and  resources.  The  church  is  first,  the  ministry 
second  and  subordinate. — Nash:  Cong.  Administration,  p.  37. 

The  Doom  of  Leadership.  He  who  has  borne  the  burden  and 
heat  of  the  day  learns  in  bitterness  of  soul  the  doom  of  leadership. 
To  stand  in  the  midst  of  the  ecclesia,  with  the  ordinary  vicissitudes 
of  man's  life  transpiring  upon  one's  self  from  day  to  day,  its  varia- 
tions of  mental  activity,  its  episodes  of  spiritual  depression,  its 
yoke  of  earthly  care,  its  fettering  relationships,  and  yet  to  behold  a 
thousand  souls  assembled  and  waiting  for  inspiration  from  one 
soul;  to  be  conscious  perpetually  of  this  silent  demand  upon  one's 
selfhood;  to  know  that  life  must  be  maintained  at  the  giving  point, 
at  the  point  of  spiritual  exaltation,  where  influence  is  generated 
for  the  uplift  of  many  souls;  to  look  into  the  faces  of  men  and 
women  gathered  in  the  house  of  God,  and  to  see  in  some  the 
hunger  of  expectation  that  must  be  fed,  in  others  the  absence  of 
energy  that  must  be  supplied — that  is  the  doom  of  leadership. — 
Chas.  Cuthbert  Hall:  Ministerial  Power,  p.  173. 

What  Authority  Has  the  Pastor?  In  the  exercise  of 
his  office  the  pastor  has  authority  commensurate  with  his 
responsibility.  The  duties  which  his  call  and  office  presume 
he  has  authority  to  carry  out,  and  to  use  the  necessary 
means  for  carrying  them  out.  He  has  authority  to  teach 
the  doctrines  contained  in  the  church  creed,  liberally  inter- 
preted in  the  spirit  of  reasonable  freedom.  He  has  author- 
ity to  arrange  the  order  of  the  church  service  so  as  to  pro- 
mote the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  church,  being  guided  by 
the  counsel  of  the  deacons  in  matters  concerning  which  a 
difference  of  opinion  may  arise  and  where  the  church  itself 
has  final  authority  in  matters  of  its  own  form  of  worship. 
The  minister's  authority  to  call  for  special  meetings  for 
the  observance  of  Holy  Week  or  the  Week  of  Prayer  could 
not  reasonably  be  called  in  question,  but  the  arrangement 


246         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

for  a  series  of  evangelistic  services  involving  extra  expense, 
and  calling  for  the  employment  of  unusual  agencies,  should 
be  submitted  certainly  to  the  board  of  deacons,  and  in  ordi- 
nary cases  approved  by  the  church.  His  right  to  use  the 
church  building  for  spiritual  ends  does  not  authorize  him 
to  arrange  for  concerts,  bazaars,  political  gatherings,  or  dis- 
cussions of  public  questions,  even  if  in  his  judgment  these 
have  a  spiritual  bearing,  except  by  authority  of  the  trustees 
of  the  church.  The  trustees  cannot  interfere  with  any 
spiritual  use  he  may  make  of  the  building,  but  they  should 
be  consulted  in  every  case  where  the  building  is  proposed 
to  be  used  for  any  purpose  not  clearly  in  the  line  of  the 
spiritual  work  of  the  church. 

He  is  the  leader  of  the  Sunday  school,  and  all  its  officers 
and  teachers  are  under  his  general  direction  through  the 
superintendent.  This  does  not  authorize  him  to  remove  a 
teacher  without  the  consent  of  the  superintendent,  nor  to 
change  radically  the  policy  of  the  Sunday  school  on  his 
own  initiative  without  the  concurrent  action  of  those  placed 
under  him  in  authority  over  that  particular  branch  of  the 
work.  The  same  is  true  of  all  other  organizations  in  the 
church.  All  spiritual  work  within  the  church  is  under  the 
pastor's  general  advice  and  direction.  But  a  department 
of  the  church  work  being  organized  as  a  department  with 
its  own  officers  and  forms  of  work,  it  would  not  only  be 
rude  and  ungracious  but  an  unwarranted  act  for  the  pastor 
to  ignore  those  to  whom  that  work  is  committed.  Still 
more  would  it  be  a  rude  and  unauthorized  act  for  any  de- 
partment of  the  church  work  to  set  itself  against  the  rea- 
sonable authority  of  the  pastor,  and  to  assume  that  Sunday 
school,  or  Christian  Endeavor  society,  or  missionary  society 
existed  in  its  own  right  independent  of  the  church  and  in 
no  sense  responsible  to  the  minister.  The  minister's  re- 
sponsibility is  large,  and  his  authority  must  be  commensu- 
rate with  that  responsibility.  It  is  an  authority  to  be  exer- 
cised with  great  tact  and  patience,  and  with  constant  regard 
not  only  for  the  rights  but  for  the  feelings  of  others.    The 


THE   OFFICE   OF  THE  PASTOR  247 

minister's  authority  over  the  music  of  the  church  does  not 
extend  to  the  employment  of  organist  or  choir,  or  to  the 
selection  of  the  hymn  books,  or  the  purchase  of  musical 
instruments.  All  this  belongs  to  the  church  through  its 
constituted  committees  or  officers.  But  the  pastor  has 
authority  to  determine  what  music  shall  or  shall  not  be 
rendered  in  any  particular  service,  and  should  exercise  this 
authority  not  by  arbitrary  and  spasmodic  interference,  but 
by  constant  and  intimate  association  with  those  who  arrange 
■*  the  music.  Differences  of  opinion  that  grow  up  between 
minister  and  choir,  or  minister  and  music  committee,  often 
occur  through  the  attempt  to  enforce  an  authority  that  long 
has  been  neglected,  whereas  the  minister's  relations  to 
these  interests  should  be  constant,  and  exercised  in  the 
form  of  advice  or  friendly  counsel  rather  than  by  direct 
command. 

The  pastor  has  authority  in  his  utterances  to  speak  the 
truth  as  he  sees  the  truth,  with  confidence  that  he  is  the 
servant  of  no  man ;  but  he  has  no  authority  to  use  his  pulpit 
for  libelous  utterances,  or  for  the  expression  of  harsh  or 
uncharitable  judgments,  or  for  the  censure  of  his  personal 
enemies,  or  for  the  gratification  of  his  own  likes  or  dislikes. 
He  is  free  from  all,  yet  the  servant  of  all,  and  in  the  exercise 
of  his  authority  he  is  to  do  all  things  to  the  end  of  edifying 
the  Body  of  Christ. 

Ministers  Subject  to  Churches.  Nor  doth  it  make  the  people 
rulers  of  their  rulers,  .  .  .  that  the  church  hath  power  over 
them,  in  case  of  delinquency;  for  excommunication  is  not  an  act  of 
the  highest  rule,  but  of  the  highest  judgment.  ...  If  the  min- 
isters become  delinquents,  then,  as  members,  they  are  under  the 
whole. — Davenport:  Power  of  Cong.  Churches,  ii,  65. 

Power  of  the  Congregation.  This  power  of  government  in  the 
elders,  doth  not  any  wise  prejudice  the  power  of  privilege  in  the 
brotherhood;  as  neither  the  power  of  privilege  in  the  brethren 
doth  prejudice  the  power  of  government  in  the  elders,  but  they  may 
sweetly  agree  together. — Cambridge  Platform:  x,  10. 

Relations  of  Pastor  and  People.  Christian  congregations  should 
be  trained  to  reason  with  and  rebuke  the  pastors  who  preach  un- 
sound doctrine:  Christian  pastors  should  show  themselves  thor- 
oughly enough  Christian  to  heed  the  reasoning,  and  submit  with 
humility  to  the  rebuke.     The  pastor  who  feels  himself  most  loftily 


248        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

elevated  above  his  own  church  in  the  knowledge  of  the  doctrine  of 
Christ  is  most  ill  fitted  to  be  their  pastor.  To  what  lengths  of  un- 
reason and  discourtesy  a  minister  may  be  carried  by  wholly  for- 
getting the  essential  nature  of  his  relations  to  the  people,  some 
of  our  own  controversial  books  and  pamphlets  have  made  us 
aware!— Lodrf;  Polity,  p.  224. 

Pastors  Lead,  Not  Rule.  All  pastors  should  remember  that  the 
people  rule  in  our  polity,  and  the  people  should  suffer  no  pastor  to 
forget.  The  Congregational  pastor  is  neither  ruler  nor  hired  serv- 
ant. He  should  neither  lord  it  over  the  flock,  nor  do  their  work 
for  them  at  market-place  wages  for  a  definite  time.  He  is  the 
elected  leader,  whose  duty  is  to  lead  and  train.  He  will  do  well 
to  have  conspicuous  among  his  working  principles  this  one,  that 
he  will  do  nothing  which  he  can  get  any  one  else  to  do. — Nash: 
Cong.  Administration,  p.  76. 

May  a  Pastor  Advise  a  Child  Against  the  Advice  of  the 
Parent?  This  is  a  delicate  question  w^hich  cannot  be 
answered  in  every  case  by  the  same  unqualified  word. 
There  might  arise,  and  have  arisen  occasions,  in  which 
parents  instructing  a  child  to  commit  a  crime  should  be 
advised  by  the  minister  not  to  do  the  thing  which  his 
parents  have  been  instructing  him  to  do.  Yet  any  such 
example  must  be  counted  as  the  very  rare  exception.  Ques- 
tions sometimes  arise  in  the  matter  of  young  people  uniting 
with  the  church.  Very  rarely  indeed,  if  ever,  ought  a  pastor 
to  encourage  a  minor  to  unite  with  the  church  against  the 
insistent  prohibition  of  the  parent.  This  is  not  only  good 
religion  but  good  law.  In  such  a  case  the  parent  should  be 
seen  and  earnestly  consulted  to  encourage  the  child  in  the 
Christian  life,  but  if  the  parent  remains  obdurate,  the  child 
should  be  counseled  to  continue  in  only  such  outward  Chris- 
tian activities  as  the  parent  approves,  and  beyond  this  to 
exercise  patience  and  prayer  and  to  perform  the  duties  of 
a  child  so  faithfully  as  in  time  to  secure  the  parental  con- 
sent. 

A  test  case  of  the  right  of  a  minister  to  interfere  with 
the  will  of  a  parent  was  that  of  a  young  woman  of  seven- 
teen, whose  parents  were  Presbyterians  and  who  herself 
desired  to  join  a  Baptist  church.  The  Baptist  minister  im- 
mersed her  against  the  expressed  will  of  her  father.     The 


THE   OFFICE    OF  THE   PASTOR 249 

court  decided  that  the  act  of  the  minister  was  an  unwar- 
ranted interference  with  the  lawful  authority  of  the  father. 

What  Is  the  Value  of  Installation?  Installation  is  a 
safeguard  to  the  local  church.  It  offers  the  examination  of 
a  minister's  credentials  by  a  competent  and  authorized 
body.  If  universally  practiced  it  would  result  in  almost 
complete  elimination  of  adventurers  from  the  Congrega- 
tional ministry.  It  is  also  a  fitting  act  of  fellowship,  recog- 
nizing the  common  interest  of  the  churches  in  the  important 
act  of  beginning  a  new  pastorate. 

Installation  has  a  legal  value.  An  installed  minister 
cannot  be  removed  from  his  pulpit  against  his  will  except 
for  gross  immorality,  neglect  of  duty,  or  essential  change 
of  doctrine. 

Is  Installation  a  Growing  Custom  of  Our  Churches? 
Installation  has  steadily  declined  during  the  past  half  cen- 
tury. While  it  has  much  to  commend  it,  and  deserves  to 
be  encouraged,  it  has  steadily  lessened,  spite  of  almost  un- 
reasonable efforts  to  increase  its  scope.  The  Boston  Plat- 
form of  1865  unwarrantedly  denied  the  title,  pastor,  to  any 
but  installed  ministers ;  and  Dr.  Dexter,  after  decades  of 
insistence  upon  installation,  dedicated  his  latest  book  of 
Polity  "To  the  Settled  Pastors  of  the  Congregational 
Churches."  Spite  of  these  efforts  to  outlaw  all  others,  the 
number  of  installed  ministers  has  diminished  both  abso- 
lutely and  relatively.  Dr.  George  M.  Boynton  wrote  in 
1904: 

According  to  the  Year  Book  there  were,  January  1,  1903,  4,393 
churches  with  pastors.  Of  these  only  819  were  with  pastors  in- 
stalled by  council,  that  is,  only  eighteen  per  cent  of  the  whole  num- 
ber. Of  the  1,311  in  the  New  England  states,  506  were  installed 
after  the  old  pattern,  a  little  less  than  thirty-nine  per  cent,  while 
of  the  larger  states  in  the  West  the  percentage  is  from  five  to 
twenty-five  per  cent.  It  is  interesting  to  trace  this  matter  back 
for  nearly  fifty  years.  In  1857,  out  of  1,768  churches  947  had  pastors 
installed  by  council,  or  fifty-four  per  cent.  The  percentage  was 
lessened  year  by  year  until  1880,  when  of  2,800  churches  881  had 
pastors  installed  by  council.  Thus  at  this  half-way  point  from  our 
earliest  complete  denominational  statistics  in  1857  the  percentage 
had  decreased  from  fifty-four  per  cent  to  thirty  per  cent.  Since 
then  it  has  dropped  to  eighteen  per  cent. 


Installed 

Year. 

Pastors. 

Pastors. 

1857 

1,025 

706 

1867 

887 

1,111 

1877 

889 

1,474 

1885 

954 

1,910 

1914 

560 

3,535 

250        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Decline  of  Installation.  In  New  England  a  bare  majority  of  our 
churches,  and  in  the  rest  of  the  country  only  one-fifth  of  them,  are 
protected  by  the  safeguard  of  installation.  In  1857,  when  the  sta- 
tistics of  our  churches  were  first  published,  seventy-three  per  cent 
of  our  pastors  in  New  England  were  installed,  and  fifty-four  per 
cent  of  all  our  ministers  there.  Such  being  the  facts,  the  churches 
there  cannot  much  longer  depend  entirely  on  councils  of  ordination 
and  installation  for  safeguards  of  purity.  Indeed,  wisdom  demands 
that  those  states  begin  finding  some  better  safeguard,  or  soon  their 
churches  will  be  defenseless. 

During  the  last  thirty  years  strenuous  efforts  have  been  made 
in  papers,  associations,  and  councils  to  induce  the  churches  to  in- 
stall their  pastors.  The  result  is  indicated  in  the  following  table, 
which  shows  a  steady  and  great  relative  decline  in  installations: 

Per  cent  of  the  installed: 
Ministers.     Of  Pastors.     Of  Ministers. 
2,350  59.2  40.5 

2,879  44.4  30.8 

3,406  39.0  26.1 

4,043  33.3  23.6 

5,923  15.8  9.4 

This  decadence  in  installations  has  come  about  in  the  face  of 
the  most  persistent  efforts  to  encourage  the  churches  to  call  such 
councils.  As  a  means  to  this  end  reports  in  our  Year  Books  have 
divided  pastors  into  two  classes,  "pastors"  and  "acting  pastors," 
and  the  Boston  Council,  in  1865,  declared  installation  necessary  to 
the  recognition  of  a  preacher  as  a  pastor  (Boston  Platform,  Part 
III,  ch.  ii,  7  [2]).  It  can  hardly  be  hoped  that  since  the  churches 
have  stated  fellowship  in  their  associations,  they  will  ever  return 
to  councils  in  addition  as  safeguards  of  purity;  since  a  compre- 
hensive, inexpensive,  normal,  and  adequate  safeguard  is  found  in 
ministerial  standing  in  associations  of  churches. 

No  safeguard  which  reaches  only  a  small  proportion  of  min- 
isters and  churches,  and  is  failing  in  spite  of  every  device  to  sustain 
it,  can  be  adequate,  and  no  such  safeguard  should  be  relied  on  any 
longer  than  is  needful  for  adjustment  to  a  better  way.  The  ease 
with  which  councils  can  be  packed,  their  unfitness  for  careful  in- 
quiry on  the  eve  of  installations,  their  tendency  to  stir  up  strife 
by  hasty  action,  the  fact  that  if  one  council  fail  to  do  the  will  of 
a  church  another  can  be  called  to  do  it,  their  narrow  scope,  their 
expense  in  countries  with  few  churches,  their  politico-ecclesiastical 
origin — these  and  some  other  things  render  it  evident  that  coun- 
cils, except  for  adjustment  of  troubles  and  the  discipline  of  min- 
isters or  churches,  will  ultimately  cease. — Ross:  Church-Kingdom, 
pp.  291-292. 

The  decline  has  continued  until  the  Year  Book  for  1914 
shows  only  560  installed  pastors  out  of  3,535  serving  the 
churches  as  pastors,  and  out  of  a  total  of  5,923  ministers, 
a  percentage  of  less  than  sixteen. 

Who  May  Install  a  Minister?     A  minister  may  be  in- 


THE   OFFICE   OF  THE   PASTOR  251 

Stalled  either  by  an  installing  council,  or  by  the  District 
Association  to  which  the  installing  church  belongs. 

A  form  of  service  suitable  for  installation  will  be  found  in 
Barton's  Congregational  Manual. 

What  Is  the  Value  of  a  Recognition  Service?  Where  a 
church  prefers  not  to  install  its  pastor,  it  may  call  a  council 
of  recognition.  Such  a  council  has  no  legal  authority  and 
the  pastoral  relation  may  be  dissolved  either  with  or  with- 
out a  dismissing  council,  but  it  has  the  value  of  safeguard- 
ing the  interests  of  the  church  and  of  expressing  the  fellow- 
ship of  the  churches.  The  procedure  is  the  same  as  in  a 
council  for  installation,  and  the  same  form  may  be  used 
excepting  that  the  word,  recognize,  should  take  the  place 
of  install,  and  recognition  take  the  place  of  installation. 

How  May  a  Church  Terminate  a  Pastorate?  A  pastor 
who  has  been  called  without  time  limitation,  and  settled  in 
his  pastoral  office  according  to  the  customs  of  his  denom- 
ination, can  legally  be  driven  from  his  pastorate  for  one  of 
three  reasons :  First,  gross  neglect  of  duty ;  second,  gross 
immorality;  third,  radical  departure  from  the  theological 
views  held  by  him  and  publicly  expressed  at  the  time  when 
he  became  pastor  of  the  church.  Very  rarely  is  a  pastor- 
ate terminated  for  any  one  of  these  three  reasons.  A  church 
which  is  convinced  that  the  time  has  come  when  its  present 
pastorate  should  terminate  ought  first  of  all  to  search  its 
own  heart  and  motive  and  be  sure  that  it  has  fulfilled  and 
is  willing  to  fulfill  all  its  own  duty  to  the  pastor,  and  that 
the  fault,  if  fault  there  be,  which  exists  as  the  ground  for 
the  separation,  is  wholly  his.  The  vague  charge  that  "there 
is  some  criticism,"  or  that  "certain  influential  people  have 
left  the  church,"  or  that  "he  is  not  popular  with  the  young 
people,"  or  that  "he  has  given  ofifense  to  some  important 
interest,"  is  not  a  sufficient  reason,  and  ought  not  to  be 
31  sufficient  moral  ground,  for  the  termination  of  a  pastor- 
ate. Before  acting  on  any  of  these  grounds,  the  church 
should  earnestly  inquire  of  itself  whether  it  has  striven 
faithfully  and  affectionately  to  co-operate  with  its  minister, 


252        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

to  supplement  his  deficiencies  and  to  make  his  ministry 
effective,  and  if  the  fault  or  any  part  of  the  fault  lie  with 
the  church  it  should  first  seek  to  correct  its  own  error 
before  thrusting  him  forth.  But  if  convinced  that  the  pas- 
torate ought  to  terminate,  the  officers  of  the  church  should 
confer  with  the  minister  lovingly  and  in  a  brotherly  spirit, 
advise  him  that  in  the  judgment  of  the  church  the  time  is 
approaching  when  a  change  should  be  made,  and  give  him 
time  and  reasonable  opportunity  to  seek  another  field.  In 
almost  every  case  a  minister  thus  approached  will  willingly 
withdraw,  even  at  the  cost  of  great  sacrifice.  In  the  interval 
that  remains  between  such  a  conference  and  the  retirement 
of  the  minister,  he  should  be  given  every  reasonable  oppor- 
tunity to  find  another  parish,  and  the  church  should  gladly 
co-operate  with  him  in  this  matter. 

When  the  time  comes  for  the  dissolution  of  the  pastor- 
ate, his  resignation  having  been  read  from  the  pulpit  and 
formally  accepted  in  a  business  meeting  of  the  church,  the 
pastor  should  be  dismissed  from  the  church  by  a  regular 
letter  to  the  church  which  he  wishes  to  join,  and  the  church 
may  very  properly  in  addition  pass  resolutions  saying  all 
that  it  can  truthfully  say  that  is  favorable  to  him  as  a  min- 
ister and  a  man. 

Termination  of  Pastorate.  When  the  pastoral  relation  is  to  be 
terminated,  if  on  account  of  dissatisfaction  with  the  minister,  great 
care  should  be  taken  that  everything  be  done  in  a  spirit  of  con- 
siderate kindness  on  both  sides.  Unless  the  cause  be  moral  de- 
linquency, the  communication  of  the  desire  on  the  part  of  the 
church  should  be  made  so  as  to  wound  as  little  as  possible.  It  is 
not  pleasant  at  the  best  to  be  told  that  personal  services  are  no 
longer  desired,  and  yet  it  must  sometimes  be  done.  Let  it  be 
done  with  a  kind  heart  and  tongue,  after  much  prayer  and  with 
the  good  of  the  church  as  the  only  motive.  Let  those  who  must 
communicate  such  sad  news  put  themselves  in  the  place  of  him  to 
whom  it  is  to  be  told  and  consider  how  they  would  feel  about  it. 
It  should  be  done  frankly  when  necessary.  It  is  a  poor  compli- 
ment to  a  man  to  suggest  that  he  does  not  want  to  know  the  truth; 
only  be  sure  that  it  is  the  truth  and  spoken  in  love. 

The  minister,  too,  should  not  be  angry.  He  should  keep  re- 
sentful thoughts  from  his  heart  and  sharp  words  from  his  lips. 
He  should  not  emphasize  the  ingratitude  of  those  for  whom  he  has 
done   so  much;   perhaps  they   have  done  and  borne  as   much   for 


THE  OFFICE   OF  THE   PASTOR 253 

mm   as   they   have   received   from   him. — Boynton:    Congregational 
Way,  pp.  94-95. 

Should  a  Minister  Stand  on  His  Legal  Rights?  A  min- 
ister should  know^  his  rights  under  the  law,  but  should 
rarely  stand  on  them.  The  servant  of  the  Lord  should  not 
strive.  At  the  same  time,  the  church  should  know  the  legal 
rights  of  the  minister,  and  accord  him  not  only  those,  but 
the  full  measure  of  Christian  courtesy  in  addition. 

Legal  Rights  of  Minister.  By  the  old  usage  and  by  the  de- 
cisions of  courts,  a  minister  installed  without  limit  of  time  or  pro- 
vision for  termination  of  relation  has  a  claim  upon  the  church  or 
society  for  salary  promised  him  annually  until  he  shall  be  con- 
victed either  of  immorality,  neglect  of  duty,  or  material  change  of 
beliefs.  But  these  are  not  by  any  means  the  only  reasons  which 
may  lead  a  church  to  desire  a  change  of  pastors.  One  may  be 
eminently  unsuccessful,  although  he  is  guilty  of  none  of  these 
things,  and  for  the  good  and  growth  of  the  church  should  leave  it. 
Some  prominent  instances  have  occurred  within  the  past  few  years 
where  pastors  have  successfully  resisted  all  efforts  to  displace 
them  until  really  bought  off.  It  is  not  strange  that  intelligent 
churches  should  hesitate  to  put  their  necks  under  this  yoke  of 
bondage.  They  therefore  settle  their  pastor  without  a  council. 
But  this  omission  is  by  no  means  necessary  in  order  to  escape  this 
trouble  or  danger.  Churches  and  ministers  are  insisting  in  these 
days  on  putting  a  provision  into  the  call  by  which,  on  thirty  days' 
or  three  months'  notice  from  either  pastor  or  church  and  with  ap- 
proval of  an  ecclesiastical  council,  the  pastoral  relation  may  be 
terminated.  This  is  simple  and  safe  for  both  parties. — Boynton: 
The  Congregational  Way,  p.  117. 

We  think  that  under  those  peculiar  circumstances,  where  the 
matter  is  reduced,  by  the  pastor's  unreason,  to  a  contest  upon  the 
arena  of  bare  legal  right,  a  parish  would  be  justified  in  what,  under 
other  circumstances  cannot  too  much  be  condemned;  namely,  such 
a  legal  reduction  of  his  salary  as  may  remove  that  inducement  for 
his  persistent  hold  upon  the  contract.  It  will  do  no  good  to  close 
the  meeting-house  against  him,  because  the  courts  have  repeatedly 
decided  that  the  pastor  who  holds  himself  at  all  times  ready  to 
discharge  his  legal  duties,  may  lawfully  claim  his  salary,  even 
when  the  parish  do  not  allow  him  to  perform  them.  But  if  a  pastor 
could  be  so  lost  to  all  sense  of  the  decencies — not  to  say  pro- 
prieties— of  his  position,  as  thus  to  persist  in  inflicting  his  pres- 
ence upon  a  loathing  people,  in  the  face  of  the  advice  of  his  breth- 
ren in  council;  we  do  feel  that  his  people  would  be  justified  in  all 
legal  efforts,  by  way  of  reprisals,  to  make  his  position  uncomfort- 
able among  them — until  he  should  be  driven  to  cut  the  knot  by  his 
reluctant  resignation.  We  thank  God,  however,  for  the  belief  that 
there  cannot  be  one  Congregational  minister  in  ten  thousand,  who, 
under  any  circumstances  of  sanity,  could  be  brought  to  allow  him- 
self to  be  thus  "an  astonishment,  a  proverb,  and  a  byword"  on 
the  earth. — Dexter:  Congregationalism,  p.  204. 


254        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

How  May  a  Minister  Terminate  a  Pastorate?  A  min- 
ister may  terminate  a  pastorate  by  resignation,  which  must 
be  accepted  by  the  church,  and  if  he  be  installed  by  council, 
approved  by  a  dismissing  council.  If  the  contract  with  the 
church  includes  a  clause  requiring  a  prior  notice,  he  should 
be  scrupulously  careful  to  observe  the  conditions  of  his 
contract.  If  he  accepts  another  call,  it  should  be  only  a 
conditional  acceptance,  subject  to  his  honorable  release 
from  his  present  office  by  the  regular  dissolution  of  his 
pastorate. 

Is  a  Dismissing  Council  Necessary?  A  dismissing  coun- 
cil is  always  permissible,  and  in  case  a  minister  has  been 
installed  by  council,  it  is  necessary.  The  council  should  in- 
quire concerning  the  success  of  the  pastorate  and  the  rea- 
sons for  its  dissolution,  and  if  the  minister  is  worthy  should 
give  him  a  certificate  which  shall  serve  as  a  credential  to 
the  church  or  council  to  which  he  may  be  going. 

Is  the  Advice  of  a  Dismissing  Council  Authoritative? 
While  the  general  principle  holds  that  a  Congregational 
council  has  only  advisory  power,  still  if  a  minister  is  in- 
stalled by  a  council  and  his  resignation  is  submitted  and 
accepted  subject  to  the  advice  by  council,  the  concurrent 
action  of  council  is  necessary  to  the  dissolution  of  the  pas- 
torate, and  if  the  council  refuses  to  act  the  pastorate  is  not 
terminated  but  continues.  If  the  council  concurs,  the  pas- 
torate is  terminated. 

Church  Free  to  Act  A  church  being  free,  cannot  become  sub- 
ject to  any,  but  by  a  free  election;  yet  when  such  a  people  do 
choose  any  to  be  over  them  in  the  Lord,  then  do  they  become  sub- 
ject, and  most  willingly  submit  to  their  ministry  in  the  Lord, 
whom  they  have  so  chosen. — Cambridge  Platform,  vii,  6. 

The  church  either  puts  their  ministers  into  office,  or  delegates 
power  to  neighboring  ministers  to  do  it  for  them,  which  is  the 
same  thing  as  doing  it  themselves.  Therefore,  as  neighboring  min- 
isters could  not  place  a  pastor  over  them  without  their  consent; 
so  they  cannot  put  away  or  dismiss  their  pastor  without  their  con- 
sent. The  voice  of  the  church  must  always  be  had  in  every  act  of 
discipline.  Now,  if  a  council  cannot  dismiss  a  minister  without 
the  consent  of  the  church,  then  it  clearly  appears,  that  the  right 
of  dismission  belongs  solely  to  the  church,  who  may  dismiss  their 
minister  without  the  advice,  or  contrary  to  the  advice  of  a  council, 


THE   OFFICE   OF  THE   PASTOR  255 

if  they   think  he  has   forfeited  his  ministerial  character;   but  not 
otherwise. — Emmons:  Platform  Eccl.  Govt.,  Inference  I. 

If  the  Congregational  type  of  ministry  is  the  truest  to  the 
apostolic  church  order,  it  is  so  precisely  because  it  best  preserves 
the  primitive  relation  between  people  and  pastor,  a  loving  church 
and  a  divinely  qualified  ministry,  and  this  with  a  view  to  foster 
the  intimate  religious  fellowship  contemplated  in  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  But  the  best  in  ideal  is  always  the  most  difficult  to  realize 
in  practice.  Thus  it  behooves  us  to  take  more  seriously  to  heart 
the  task  of  educating  our  people  to  something  like  a  due  sense  of 
the  high  notion  of  Christian  fellowship  involved  in  the  Congrega- 
tional conception  of  the  local  church,  as  a  body  entrusted  by  God 
with  the  responsibility  of  determining  its  own  ministry,  so  far  as 
that  falls  to  men  at  all. — /.  Vernon  Bartlet:  Address  at  Inter- 
national Congregational  Council  at  Edinburgh,  1908,  pp.  219-220. 

The  Pastor's  Authority.  The  pastor  is  to  be  loved,  honored  and 
obeyed,  in  the  Lord.  He  is  placed  over  the  church  by  both  the 
Head  of  the  body,  and  by  the  free  and  voluntary  act  of  the  body 
itself.  Though  he  professes  no  magisterial  authority,  and  has  no 
power,  either  spiritual  or  temporal,  to  enforce  mandates  or  inflict 
penalties,  yet  the  very  position  he  occupies  as  teacher  and  leader 
supposes  authority  vested  in  him.  On  the  one  hand,  the  minister 
is  not  to  be  regarded  with  ignorant  and  blind  devotion,  as  if  pos- 
sessed of  superhuman  attributes,  whose  official  acts  must  be  ven- 
erated even  though  his  private  life  be  scandalous;  nor  yet,  on  the 
other  hand,  is  he  to  be  considered  a  mere  puppet  for  the  capricious 
mistreatment  of  such  as  wish  to  show  their  independence,  and 
"use  their  liberty  for  a  cloak  of  maliciousness." — Hiscox:  Baptist 
Directory,  p.  100. 

Must  Pastoral  Conditions  Be  Ideal?  Ministers  should 
not  expect  perfect  churches,  nor  churches  perfect  ministers. 
The  pastoral  relation,  like  marriage,  calls  for  mutual  con- 
cessions and  adjustments,  which  are  to  be  made  in  a  spirit 
of  mutual  love. 

Few  Ideal  Pastorates.  The  ideal  pastorate  is,  no  doubt,  life- 
long; but  in  practical  life  this  is  seldom  realized.  In  theory  there 
is  something  beautiful  in  the  case  of  a  minister  who  spends  his 
whole  life  among  the  same  people,  loved,  honored  and  venerated 
till  his  death;  around  whom  the  new  generation  grows  up  as  his 
supporters,  when  the  fathers  have  passed  away.  Honored  by  his 
compeers,  loved  by  the  young,  venerated  by  the  children,  he  be- 
comes the  typical  patriarch  and  shepherd  of  the  flock.  Such  things 
have  been;  but  seldom  can  they  now  be  found — certainly  not  in 
our  denomination.  And  perhaps,  on  the  whole,  it  may  be  just  as 
well.  The  restless  spirit  of  a  headlong  age  and  a  busy  life  de- 
mands change — change  in  hope  of  progress,  but  change  at  any 
rate.  The  romance  of  a  beautiful  theory  cannot  control  the  activ- 
ities of  society,  not  even  in  Christian  circles,  since  there,  also,  a 
carnal,  utilitarian  spirit  is  likely  to  rule. — Hiscox:  Baptist  Direc- 
tory, p.  102. 


256        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

How  Can  a  Church  Be  Saved  from  an  Unworthy  Pastor? 

No  church  should  call  a  pastor,  or  even  hear  a  minister  as 
a  candidate  until  it  has  satisfied  itself  that  he  is  in  good 
standing.  To  do  this  is  not  a  difficult  matter.  It  can  first 
look  in  the  Congregational  Year  Book,  which  is  supplied 
to  every  church  clerk  and  pastor,  and  see  if  his  name  ap- 
pears there  as  a  minister  in  good  standing.  Inquiry  may 
be  made  of  the  Superintendent  of  the  state  in  which  he  last 
labored.  If  he  comes  from  another  denomination,  inquiry 
should  be  made  through  our  own  Congregational  officials. 
It  has  happened  many  times  that  adventurers  have  gotten 
into  our  Congregational  pulpits,  sometimes  captivating  the 
congregation  to  an  extent  that  made  any  attempt  to  keep 
them  out  practically  futile.  Such  men  having  obtained  a 
foothold  in  one  church  go  with  unfortunate  ease  to  another, 
sometimes  leaving  behind  them  a  trail  of  divided  and 
almost  ruined  churches.  Such  men  usually  possess  the  easy 
power  of  convincing  some  good  people  within  a  church  that 
they  have  been  wronged  and  that  any  attempt  to  inquire 
into  their  past,  or  request  for  their  credentials,  is  an  indi- 
cation of  persecution.  Every  qualified  Congregational  min- 
ister has  credentials  which  certify  to  his  standing,  and  no 
such  minister  being  honest  will  be  offended  if  asked  to  pro- 
duce them.  But  credentials  are  not  personal  letters  of 
recommendation.  These  are  far  too  easily  obtained  and 
sometimes  secured  by  fraud  or  misrepresentation.  A  min- 
ister's credentials  include :  First,  evidence  that  he  is  a  mem- 
ber in  good  standing  of  some  local  Congregational  church ; 
secondly,  a  certificate  of  his  ordination;  thirdly,  evidence  of 
his  present  membership  in  a  Congregational  Association, 
whose  officers  are  named  in  the  Congregational  Year  Book 
and  can  always  be  written  to  in  order  to  ascertain  whether 
the  credentials  may  possibly  be  forged.  If  a  Congrega- 
tional church  will  be  as  careful  about  calling  an  unknown 
man  as  a  local  bank  would  be  about  cashing  a  check  for  a 
stranger,  a  great  deal  of  trouble  will  be  saved. 


XVI.     ECCLESIASTICAL  COUNCILS 

What  Is  an  Ecclesiastical  Council?  An  ecclesiastical 
council  is  a  body  composed  of  representatives  of  the 
churches  of  a  particular  locality  called  together  for  the  con- 
sideration of  a  specific  matter  set  forth  in  a  document 
known  as  a  Letter  Missive,  issued  by  the  inviting-  church 
or  other  body  competent  to  issue  such  a  letter,  which  docu- 
ment is  the  charter  of  the  council. 

Councils  and  Synods.  Synods  we  acknowledge,  being  rightly 
ordered,  as  an  Ordinance  of  Christ.  Of  their  assembly  we  find 
three  just  causes  in  Scripture.  (1)  When  a  Church  wanting  light  or 
peace  at  home,  desireth  the  counsell  and  help  of  other  Churches, 
few  or  moe.  (2)  When  any  Church  lyeth  under  scandall,  and  will 
not  be  healed  by  more  private  advertisement  of  their  own  members 
or  neighbor  ministers.  (3)  It  may  so  fall  out  that  the  state  of  all 
the  Churches  may  be  corrupted,  and  beginning  to  see  their  corrup- 
tion may  desire  the  counsell  of  one  another  for  a  speedy  and  safe 
and  general  reformation. — John  Cotton:  The  Keys  of  the  Kingdom, 
p.  23. 

Synods  and  Councels  have  powers  of  Jurisdiction,  to  declare  and 
apply  both  implicite  and  explicite  Laws  of  Christ  in  a  Brotherly 
maner.  Fathers,  Modern  Divines,  Calvin  and  his  successors,  all 
do  generally,  or  for  the  most  part,  consent  to  this  Proposition, 
though  the  opposition  of  the  extreme  opinion  of  Papal  power  hath 
occasioned  some  to  speak  too  diminitively  of  Synods  and  Councels. 
The  power  of  many  Churches  over  one  is  natural  and  naturally 
necessary,  as  the  power  of  many  Members  over  one  Member,  if  it 
be  true  (which  hath  been  proposed)  that  all  Churches  are  but  one 
Church  and  corporation  under  the  Lord  Christ. — James  Noyes:  The 
Temple  Measured,  London,  1647. 

The  Name  Council.  The  Congregational  use  of  the  name  coun- 
cil is  historically  a  gathering  of  neighboring  churches  called  by  a 
local  church  to  act  with,  or  to  give  advice  to  it  in  any  condition 
where  that  aid  is  needed  and  requested.  A  council  is  thus  called 
to  advise  or  co-operate  in  a  definite  matter  (pro  re  nata).  The 
only  exception  to  this  use  of  the  word  Congregationally  is  in  con- 
nection with  the  National  Council,  which  in  fact  is  a  National  As- 
sociation or  Conference  of  churches. — Boynton:  Congregational 
Way,  p.  102. 

What  Is  the  Meaning  of  "Pro  Re  Nata"?  Pro  re  nata 
means  "born  for  the  purpose."  The  term  is  used  to  dis- 
tinguish councils  convened  by  letter  missive  for  the  con- 
sideration of  a  specific  matter,  from  all  other  ecclesiastical 
assemblies    called    councils,    as,    for    example,    ecumenical 


258        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

councils,  national  councils,  or  other  denominational  or  inter- 
denominational conferences  that  may  be  called  councils. 

What  Is  the  Function  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Council? 
Ecclesiastical  councils  are,  first  of  all,  organs  for  the  expres- 
sion of  the  fellowship  of  the  churches.  From  the  beginning 
Congregational  churches  have  held  not  only  to  freedom 
but  to  fellowship  as  fundamental  to  the  Congregational 
system.  Forms  for  the  expression  of  fellowship  have 
varied,  but  the  council  is  the  oldest  and  best  established  of 
all  accredited  forms  of  co-operant  action  among  Congrega- 
tional churches.  Particularly,  councils  are  called  to  organ- 
ize or  recognize  churches,  to  ordain  or  install  or  recognize 
ministers,  and  to  give  advice  in  matters  of  church  life  and 
administration. 

The  Fellowship  of  the  Church.  A  church  of  Jesus  Christ  may 
exist  and  be  complete  in  itself  without  any  relation  to  another 
church.  It  may  be  so  isolated  in  position  that  it  is  impossible  to 
maintain  such  relations.  It  may  be  so  surrounded  with  alien  and 
ungodly  influences  that  there  is  no  other  similar  body  with  which 
it  can  be  in  fellowship.  Such  a  church  is  an  Independent,  not  a 
Congregational  church.  Fellowship  between  churches  is  main- 
tained by  various  means  of  communication,  by  councils,  or  by 
Associations  (Conferences,  Conventions);  that  is,  by  representative 
gatherings  of  churches  called  to  advise  and  help  in  special  cases, 
or  organized  to  meet  regularly  for  consultation  and  fellowship. — 
Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p.  101. 

No  Authority  Over  Other  Churches.  Churches  arc  in  all  ec- 
clesiastical matters  equal;  .  .  .  Christ  has  not  subjected  any  church 
or  congregation  to  any  other  superior  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction 
than  to  that  which  is  within  itself;  so  that,  if  a  whole  church  or 
congregation  should  err  in  any  matters  of  faith  or  worship,  no 
churches  or  spiritual  officers  have  power  to  censure  or  punish 
them,  but  are  only  to  counsel  and  advise  them. — Bradshaiv:  English 
Puritanism,  ch.  ii;  sec,  2,  3,  in  Neal's  Puritans,  i,  248, 

Who  May  Call  a  Council?  In  a  majority  of  cases,  a 
council  is  called  by  a  local  church ;  but  this  is  not  an  inva- 
riable rule.     The  following  methods  are  orderly: 

(i.)  A  local  church  may  call  a  council  to  organize  or  to 
recognize  a  newly  organized  church ;  to  welcome  to  fellow- 
ship a  church  of  another  denomination  desiring  to  become 
Congregational;  to  ordain,  install  or  dismiss  a  pastor;  or  to 
advise  in  any  case  of  need. 


ECCLESIASTICAL   COUNCILS 259 

(2.)  Two  or  more  churches  may  join  in  calling  a  council 
where  they  have  common  interests  in  a  proposed  under- 
taking, as  the  organization  of  a  new  church  lying  between 
them, 

A  mother  church  having  organized  a  mission  or  branch 
church  into  an  independent  church  may  join  with  the  latter 
in  calling  a  council  of  recognition. 

A  group  of  churches  may  call  a  council  to  determine  the 
wisdom  of  organizing  an  Association,  or  to  determine  a 
boundary  between  Associations,  or  for  other  suitable  rea- 
sons. 

In  cases  where  a  group  of  churches  having  common 
interests  unite  in  calling  a  council,  the  inviting  churches 
may  desire  to  send  delegates  and  participate  in  the  delib- 
erations of  the  council  which  they  call,  and  this  is  orderly 
if  their  intentions  are  stated  in  the  letter  missive.  In  cases 
where  a  mother  church  and  a  daughter  church  unite  in  the 
call  of  a  council  for  the  recognition  of  the  latter,  the  mother 
church  may  be  entitled  to  representation  in  the  council  if 
the  letter  missive  so  states,  but  in  no  case  where  two  or 
more  churches  unite  in  calling  a  council  may  either  of  the 
inviting  churches  be  represented  in  the  council  if  the  occa- 
sion for  the  call  be  any  controversy  between  the  inviting 
churches  or  any  of  them. 

(3.)  A  church  and  one  or  more  of  its  members  may  call 
a  council.  In  any  case  where  a  difference  of  opinion  arises 
between  a  church  and  its  minister,  or  between  the  church 
and  one  or  more  of  its  members,  and  the  local  church  has 
found  no  satisfactory  solution  of  the  difficulty,  the  two 
parties  may  unite  in  the  call  of  a  council. 

A  council  is  called  by  two  parties  having  different  inter- 
ests which  they  agree  to  arbitrate  before  a  council,  which 
is  called  a  mutual  council;  the  term  is  not  applied  where 
two  parties  are  in  agreement,  as  where  two  churches  agree 
to  organize  a  third  church  and  unite  in  a  letter  missive. 

(4.)  A  minister  or  other  member  or  group  of  members 
may  call   a  council   in   a   case  where  serious   injustice   is 


260         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

alleged  to  have  been  done  by  the  local  church  and  the 
church  refuses  to  make  amends.  Such  a  council  is  called 
an  ex-parte  council,  but  is  never  to  be  called  excepting 
where  a  mutual  council  has  been  refused. 

(5.)  An  Association  or  Conference  may  become  a  party 
to  a  council  when  a  question  arises  concerning  its  treat- 
ment of  one  or  more  of  its  members.  If  an  Association 
withdraws  fellowship  from  a  minister  and  he  is  dissatisfied 
he  may  not  appeal  to  the  State  Conference,  which  is  not 
organized  as  an  appellate  court,  and  has  no  authority  to 
reverse  decisions  in  the  District  Association,  but  he  may 
appeal  to  a  council  and  invite  the  Association  to  join  him 
in  so  doing;  or  the  Association  because  of  any  appearance 
of  local  prejudice  that  might  seem  to  disqualify  it  from 
dealing  with  an  alleged  offense  may  join  in  calling  and 
become  a  party  to  a  council. 

The  same  right  to  become  a  party  to  a  council  belongs 
to  the  State  Conference.  A  State  Conference  may  refuse 
to  receive  as  a  member  a  minister  even  though  he  be  in 
fellowship  with  an  Association,  and  has  the  right  to  do  so 
if  he  be  of  bad  moral  character.  The  minister  has  no  right 
of  appeal  from  the  State  Conference  to  the  National  Coun- 
cil, but  may  appeal  to  a  mutual  council  called  to  consider 
that  question. 

These  provisions  for  the  participation  of  a  Conference 
or  Association  in  a  council  are  recent  developments  of  our 
Congregational  polity,  but  grow  logically  out  of  the  lodg- 
ing of  ministerial  standing  in  District  Associations.  It  is 
repugnant  to  our  system  that  there  should  ever  be  a  series 
of  courts  rising  one  above  another  from  local  church  to 
District  Association  and  thence  to  State  Conference  and 
National  Council.  The  mutual  council  is  the  logical  resort 
in  cases  of  this  character.  It  is  hoped  that  it  will  not  fre- 
quently be  employed,  but  if  necessity  arises  for  its  use,  its 
right  to  be  cannot  reasonably  be  challenged. 

(6.)  A  Missionary  Society.  While  the  occasions  are  rare 
in  which  a  missionary  society  may  be  expected  to  call  a 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS  261 

council,  still  this  has  been  done,  and  it  is  a  possibility  to 
be  recognized.  The  emergency  of  calling  a  council  to 
ordain  a  foreign  missionary  is  treated  under  the  paragraph, 
"May  a  Missionary  Society  Ordain  a  Missionary?" 

Dr.  Dexter  maintained  that  a  council  must  invariably  be 
called  by  a  church,  except  in  two  instances:  First,  that  of  a 
company  of  Christians  proposing  to  organize  a  church ;  and 
secondly,  that  of  an  aggrieved  individual  member  calling 
an  ex-parte  council  (Handbook,  p.  ii8).  The  answer  of 
Dr.  Ross  appears  much  more  logical : 

Can  an  association  be  a  party  in  the  calling  of  a  council?  We 
may  answer:  (1)  That  whatever  concerns  the  churches  may  be  the 
ground  of  a  council.  If  a  thing  be  of  common  well-being,  the 
churches  may  sit  in  council  upon  it.  And  the  parties  most  affected 
or  involved  are  the  ones  that  should  invite  the  churches  to  give 
their  advice  in  the  matter.  (2)  Past  usage  cannot  prevent  needed 
changes.  If  it  could,  then  a  living  infallible  pope  were  better  than 
an  unchangeable  custom.  Usage  is  not  superior  to  principle  and 
growth,  and  hence  it  must  change,  since  Congregationalism  is  a 
living  organism.  (3)  The  past  has  had  similar  councils.  We  have 
already  shown  how  the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  which 
was  also  a  General  Association  of  the  churches,  called  councils. 
Besides,  councils  have  been  called  by  Associations  of  ministers, 
by  towns,  and  by  missionary  societies  {Dexter:  Congregationalism 
in  Lit.,  526,  527;  Upham:  Ratio  Disciplinse,  sec.  93).  There  is  nothing 
to  hinder  the  calling  of  such  councils,  if  there  be  a  general  need 
of  them.  (4)  That  there  is  such  need  is  easily  made  apparent. 
Ministerial  standing  of  some  sort  is  now  held  largely  in  Associa- 
tions of  churches  or  of  ministers.  Ministers  have  been  expelled 
from  them,  either  after  a  fair  inquiry  or  without  a  fair  hearing, 
possibly  no  notice  having  been  given  them;  and  their  expulsion  is 
published  in  the  papers  to  their  great  damage.  If  they  are  un- 
justly dealt  with  in  such  exclusion,  how  shall  the  wrong  be  ascer- 
tained and  redressed?  There  is  only  one  ecclesiastical  way  of  re- 
dress in  our  polity  equal  and  fair  to  both  the  parties  involved. 
If  redress  be  sought  in  the  civil  courts  on  a  suit  for  libel  or 
slander,  or  in  a  mandamus  ordering  their  restoration  to  member- 
ship, the  expense  is  great,  the  result  probably  adverse,  and  our 
polity  is  put  to  shame.  If  a  church  call  a  council  on  the  case,  its 
action  therein  is  indirect  and  inadequate.  Each  such  case  can  be 
covered  and  full  redress  rendered  only  by  a  mutual  council  called 
by  the  two  parties  involved,  the  minister  suspended  or  expelled  or 
excluded  and  the  association  or  conference  doing  the  alleged 
wrong.  Neither  civil  courts  nor  other  councils  meet  the  require- 
ments of  the  case.  Hence  justice  and  polity  alike  demand  that  in 
such  cases  at  least  associations  be  parties  in  the  calling  of  coun- 
cils.    Nothing  else  will  satisfy. — Church-Kingdom,  pp.  282-283. 


262        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

(7.)  A  group  of  people  who  desire  to  organize  a  church 
may  call  a  council  to  effect  such  organization. 

Must  All  Councils  Be  Chosen  from  the  Vicinage?  The 
rule  that  councils  are  to  be  chosen  from  the  vicinage  admits 
of  important  exceptions.  There  have  been  cases  in  which 
the  churches  of  the  vicinage  were  so  related  to  the  partic- 
ular problem  involved  as  to  make  it  imperative  that  a  con- 
siderable proportion  of  the  churches  should  be  chosen  from 
a  distance.  The  famous  council  called  to  consider  the  case 
of  Plymouth  Church,  Brooklyn,  and  its  pastor,  Rev.  Henry 
Ward  Beecher,  is  an  example.  There  are  often  reasons 
why  a  particular  church  at  a  distance  should  be  invited. 
In  this  as  in  all  matters  of  procedure,  good  common  sense 
is  good  Congregational  polity.  At  the  time  of  the  Episco- 
pal defection  in  Connecticut,  the  letter  of  the  Boston  min- 
isters to  the  distressed  churches  recommended  a  council, 
impartial,  and  not  confined  to  the  vicinity. 

How  May  a  Council  Be  Called?  A  council  is  called  by 
the  issuing  of  a  Letter  Missive.  If  such  a  letter  is  issued 
by  a  local  church,  the  church  must  authorize  it  by  a  specific 
vote,  naming  the  business  for  which  the  council  is  to  be 
called  and  designating  the  persons  who  are  to  act  for  the 
church  in  the  calling  of  the  council. 

What  Should  the  Letter  Missive  Include?  The  letter 
missive,  which  is  sent  to  each  invited  church  and  individual, 
should  give,  first,  the  name  of  the  body  inviting  the  council ; 
secondly,  the  time  and  place  of  meeting;  thirdly,  the  precise 
business  to  be  presented  to  the  body;  fourthly,  a  full  list 
of  the  churches  and  individuals  who  are  to  compose  the 
council ;  fifthly,  the  signatures  of  the  members  of  the  com- 
mittee calling  the  council.  The  letter  missive  should  be 
sent  out  a  sufficient  time  in  advance  to  afford  opportunity 
for  the  election  of  delegates  and  to  give  sufficient  time  for 
their  attendance.    . 

How  May  a  Church  Facilitate  the  Work  of  a  Council? 
A  church,  having  called  a  council,  may  greatly  facilitate  the 
work  of  that  body  by  a  few  simple  preliminaries. 


ECCLESIASTICAL   COUNCILS 


It  should  be  sure  that  its  own  records  are  in  good  con- 
dition, ready  to  be  presented,  and  it  should  have  an  officer 
present,  preferably  the  clerk,  in  charge  of  the  records,  ready 
to  read  them  and  to  make  any  necessary  explanation  of 
them.  If  any  formal  memorial  is  to  be  presented,  it  may 
appoint  a  member  to  present  it,  and  he  will  be  heard  by 
the  council,  not  as  a  member  of  the  council,  but  as  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  inviting  church. 

It  should  provide  a  supply  of  writing  material  for  the 
scribe  of  the  council,  and  this  should  be  ready  upon  a  table 
in  front  of  the  pulpit.  It  is  not  well  to  use  the  communion 
table  for  this  or  other  common  purposes.  A  package  of 
slips  or  cards  should  be  provided  for  balloting,  and  for  the 
securing  of  names  of  members,  in  order  to  facilitate  the 
making  of  the  roll. 

The  church  can  greatly  assist  the  scribe,  also,  if  it  will 
prepare  a  typewritten  sheet  with  generous  spaces,  contain- 
ing the  form  for  the  beginning  of  the  work  of  the  council, 
and  another  sheet  with  the  list  of  the  churches  invited, 
plainly  typewritten  on  the  left,  with  space  for  two  names 
on  the  right.  The  scribe  of  the  council  is  often  hurried  in 
the  opening  minutes  of  the  council,  and  the  confusion  of 
his  records  at  the  beginning  often  involves  confusion 
throughout. 

If  an  inexperienced  person  is  chosen  as  scribe,  he  will 
find  simple  directions  for  the  beginning  of  his  work  in  Bar- 
ton's Congregational  Manual,  pp.  255-257. 

Who  Compose  the  Membership  of  a  Council?  It  is  cus- 
tomary to  invite  each  church  to  be  represented  by  its  pastor 
and  a  single  delegate.  This,  however,  is  not  a  necessary 
or  invariable  custom.  An  invitation  might  be  issued  re- 
questing the  church  to  send  to  the  council  its  pastor  and 
two  or  three  delegates.  There  is  no  fixed  and  necessary 
proportion  between  ministerial  and  lay  members  of  a  coun- 
cil, though  the  common  custom  is  that  each  church  shall 
be  represented  by  its  pastor  and  one  lay  delegate. 

Cotton  Mather  shows  that  in  his  time  there  were  fre- 


264         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

quently  as  many  as  a  half  dozen  delegates  from  each  church, 
the  pastor  choosing  one  or  more  and  the  church  electing 
others.  There  was  a  time  in  New  England  when  churches 
resented  being  restricted  in  the  number  of  delegates  chosen. 
In  a  council  in  Dorderton,  about  1794,  each  church  had  one 
to  six  delegates. 

How  Many  Delegates.  Samuel  Mather  informs  us,  that,  in  the 
synod  of  1679,  certain  pastors  were  not  allowed  to  sit  till  they  had 
lay  delegates  to  sit  with  them.  John  Wise  maintains  that  minis- 
ters may  be  left  out  of  the  choice  of  delegates  to  council,  if  so 
their  churches  will.  From  Balch's  Vindication  of  the  Second 
Church  in  Bradford,  it  appears  that  the  church,  about  1746,  sent 
to  the  ministers  of  one  association  with  their  churches  to  consti- 
tute a  council.  Mr.  Davenport  was  invited  to  sit  with  the  synod 
at  Cambridge. — Cummings:  Cong.  Diet.,  Councils. 

What  Constitutes  a  Quorum?  A  majority  of  all  invited 
churches  constitutes  a  quorum.  Quorums  have  sometimes 
been  judged  by  the  counting  of  individual  members,  but 
this  is  not  good  practice.  A  church  accepting  an  invitation 
to  a  council  is  represented  whether  it  sends  its  full  delega- 
tion or  not.  Individuals  invited  to  a  council,  though  they 
have  standing  in  the  council,  should  not  be  counted  in 
determining  a  quorum. 

May  Churches  Invited  to  Council  and  Unable  to  Attend 
Diminish  the  Necessary  Quorum?  Where  distances  are 
great  and  the  difficulty  of  securing  a  quorum  is  conse- 
quently considerable,  it  is  permissible  for  a  church  receiv- 
ing a  letter  missive  and  unable  to  attend,  to  communicate 
to  the  inviting  church  its  regret,  together  with  the  request 
that  its  necessary  absence  be  not  permitted  to  militate 
against  the  securing  of  a  quorum.  Where  such  a  request 
is  made,  there  can  be  no  valid  objection  to  counting  such 
a  church  out  of  the  little  majority  which  would  be  necessary 
to  a  quorum.  Dr.  Boynton  has  suggested,  and  quite  prop- 
erly, the  inclusion  of  a  sentence  such  as  the  following  in 
the  letter  missive  where  such  a  condition  is  anticipated : 

"We  respectfully  request  that  you  would  pass  a  vote 
agreeing  that  such  churches  as  may  be  present  in  council, 
under  this  invitation, — a  quorum  being  present,  if  not  in 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS  265 

person,  by  the  force  of  such  votes  duly  received, — may  be 
authorized  to  proceed  with  the  work  for  which  the  council 
i?  called;  and  that  you  will  transmit  this  vote  at  once  to 
our  church." 

This  is  far  better  and  safer  than  the  plan  proposed  in 
the  Boston  Platform,  which  cannot  be  considered  good 
Congregationalism : 

"If  a  majority  of  the  churches  invited  be  not  represented, 
those  present  ought  not  to  proceed  as  a  council,  unless  the 
party  inviting  consents." 

How  Is  a  Council  Organized?  The  first  step  in  the 
organization  of  a  council  is  the  reading  of  the  letter  missive. 
This  is  the  official  call  of  the  council.  The  reading  may  be 
done  by  an  officer  of  the  inviting  church,  who  therein  wel- 
comes the  council  and  lays  the  business  before  it.  This  is 
a  dignified  way  of  opening  a  council,  and  worthy  of  more 
frequent  usage.  Commonly,  however,  the  council  is  called 
to  order  by  one  of  its  members.  A  dignified  and  worthy 
custom  has  made  the  senior  pastor  present  the  natural  per- 
son to  perform  this  service.  While  the  person  calling  the 
council  to  order,  if  a  member  of  the  council,  does  not 
thereby  disqualify  himself  for  permanent  moderatorship,  it 
should  be  understood  that  the  reading  of  the  letter  missive 
is  not  the  announcement  of  a  candidacy  for  that  office. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  reader  of  the  letter  missive  to  call 
for  the  election  of  a  temporary  scribe,  and  to  determine 
whether  a  quorum  is  present.  As  this  process  usually  in- 
volves the  reading  of  the  list  of  invited  churches  and  indi- 
viduals, it  is  desirable  that  the  roll  be  made  up  at  this  time. 
It  will  insure  accuracy  in  the  recording  of  the  names  if 
cards  are  provided,  and  each  member  of  the  council  record 
his  name  and  the  church  he  represents.  It  will  also  facili- 
tate the  determination  of  a  quorum.  As  soon  as  it  is  deter- 
mined that  a  quorum  is  present,  a  permanent  moderator  is 
to  be  elected.  This  may  be  done  by  ballot,  and  must  be  so 
done  if  any  member  of  the  council  demands  it,  but  a  ballot 


266        THE  LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

need  not  be  insisted  upon  if  there  be  no  expressed  desire 
for  it. 

What  Are  the  Duties  of  the  Moderator  of  a  Council? 
The  first  duty  of  the  permanent  moderator  is  to  lead  the 
council  in  prayer.  It  is  this  prayer  which  constitutes  the 
council.  While  the  moderator  may  call  upon  some  other 
member  to  perform  this  service,  it  is  customary  and  desir- 
able that  the  moderator  himself  offer  the  constituting 
prayer. 

The  next  duty  of  the  moderator  is  to  call  for  the  election 
of  a  permanent  scribe.  If  the  duties  of  the  moderator  or 
scribe  are  likely  to  be  prolonged  or  arduous,  the  council 
may  elect  an  assistant  to  either  or  both. 

The  next  duty  of  the  moderator  is  to  call  for  the  records 
relating  to  the  call  of  the  council.  These  should  be  sub- 
mitted by  the  clerk  of  the  church,  or  by  some  officer  repre- 
senting the  body  calling  the  council.  This  record  should 
show  distinctly  the  nature  of  the  business  named  in  the 
letter  missive  and  the  authority  by  which  that  business  is 
submitted  to  the  present  council.  If  there  is  any  doubt 
about  the  jurisdiction  of  the  council,  that  question  should 
be  settled  before  the  council  proceeds. 

The  council  being  now  assured  of  its  own  membership 
and  of  its  jurisdiction,  the  moderator  will  call  for  the  par- 
ticular business  for  which  the  council  has  convened.  The 
records  having  been  presented,  other  documents  and  per- 
sonal statements  may  be  received  until  the  whole  matter 
which  the  council  is  to  determine  is  fully  set  before  it. 
This  should  be  done  as  nearly  as  may  be  in  regular  and 
logical  order,  and  after  each  part  has  been  presented  the 
council  may  at  its  discretion  conclude  that  portion  of  its 
inquiry  by  a  vote  "that  the  papers  and  statements  thus  far 
submitted  are  deemed  satisfactory."  It  should  be  under- 
stood, however,  that  such  a  vote  does  not  determine  any 
subsequent  action  of  the  council.  It  merely  indicates  that 
the  council  has  heard  all  that  appears  to  be  available  or  all 
that  it  deems  necessary  at  present  upon  that  particular 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS 267 

point.  It  does  not  prevent  the  council  from  making  any- 
further  inquiry  if  at  a  later  stage  it  finds  the  matter  sub- 
mitted to  it  to  be  incomplete. 

During  this  time  the  moderator's  duty  is  that  of  an 
ordinary  presiding  officer,  with  somewhat  more  than  usual 
freedom  in  the  matter  of  directing  the  order  of  events.  If 
the  business  of  the  council  is  the  ordination  of  a  candidate 
to  the  ministry,  the  moderator  will  commonly  lead  in  the 
examination,  or  may  designate  some  member  to  lead  in  the 
propounding  of  the  questions.  This  he  does,  not  to  the 
exclusion  of  other  members,  all  of  whom  have  equal  right 
with  himself  to  participate  in  the  examination,  but  as  a 
matter  of  facilitating  business  and  exercising  the  preroga- 
tive of  a  president. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  moderator  also  to  preside  at  and 
conduct  the  public  service ;  to  announce  to  the  congrega- 
tion the  decision  of  the  council ;  and,  in  cases  of  ordination 
or  installation,  to  lead  in  the  public  form  of  ritual,  unless 
the  council  shall  designate  another  member  to  perform 
those  services. 

The  moderator  can  greatly  facilitate  the  work  of  the 
council  by  keeping  clearly  in  mind  the  simple  outline  of  the 
work  to  be  done,  and  that  of  his  own  part  as  leader.  The 
moderator,  as  well  as  the  scribe,  should  sign  and  certify 
all  official  documents  emanating  from  the  council. 

What  Is  the  Duty  of  the  Scribe?  It  is  the  duty  of  the 
scribe  of  a  council  to  keep  the  records  of  the  council  and 
the  roll  of  its  members,  and  at  the  close  to  complete  the 
records  and  furnish  copies  signed  by  himself  and  the  mod- 
erator to  the  inviting  church  and  to  all  other  parties  uniting 
in  the  call  of  the  council.  It  will  greatly  facilitate  the  work 
of  the  clerk  if  stationery  is  prepared  in  advance,  as  sug- 
gested in  a  previous  section.  But  even  where  this  is  not 
done,  the  work  of  the  scribe  is  not  heavily  burdensome  if 
he  does  his  work  in  a  systematic  way.  It  is  his  right  to 
require  that  all  lengthy  motions  should  be  submitted  in 
writing. 


268        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

The  scribe  should  not  be  made  a  member  of  any  com- 
mittee. 

The  scribe  should  do  his  work  so  thoroughly  that  he  can 
have  his  records  in  order  and  ready  to  be  read  and  approved 
at  the  close  of  the  executive  session  of  the  council. 

For  further  suggestions  to  the  scribe  of  a  council  the  reader 
is  referred  to  the  author's  Congregational  Manual,  pp.  255-258. 

Does  Irregularity  in  Invitation  Invalidate  the  Council? 

Irregularities  in  letters  missive  or  in  the  records  of  the 
churches  calling  the  council  will  frequently  be  found,  but 
not  every  such  irregularity  invalidates  the  council.  It  is 
for  the  council  itself  to  determine  whether  an  irregularity 
in  the  form  of  the  proceeding  or  of  the  call  is  of  such  a 
character  as  to  invalidate  the  call.  Where  a  council  has 
been  called  in  good  faith  and  there  is  no  indication  that  any 
party  will  suffer  wrong  through  a  technical  irregularity,  a 
council  should  not  be  invalidated  on  account  of  an  inad- 
vertent error  of  a  minor  sort. 

What  Is  the  Place  of  Individual  Members  in  a  Council? 

It  is  customary  to  invite  to  a  council  individual  members 
in  addition  to  the  delegates  from  the  church.  In  centers 
where  a  considerable  number  of  ordained  professors,  sec- 
retaries, editors  and  other  ministers  without  pastoral  charge 
are  living,  the  number  of  such  individuals  sometimes  con- 
stitutes a  very  large  proportion  of  the  council.  This  ought 
not  to  be  so.  The  number  of  individuals  especially  invited 
should  be  few  in  proportion  to  the  representatives  of  the 
churches.  It  is  the  churches  who  are  to  assume  responsi- 
bility for  the  finding  of  the  council.  Individuals  who  are 
desired,  should,  as  a  rule,  be  secured  through  election  by 
their  own  churches.  In  a  paper  by  Dr.  Hazen,  in  National 
Council  Minutes  of  1898,  this  principle  is  emphasized.  He 
declares  that  if  an  individual  is  greatly  desired,  either  be- 
cause he  is  to  preach  a  sermon  or  to  furnish  expert  advice, 
such  cases  should  be  limited  to  very  special  exceptions  and 
never  multiplied  for  merely  honorary  recognition. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS 269 

Of  the  Place  of  Ministers  in  Councils.  Not  their  office,  but 
their  delegation,  gives  them  power  to  be  members  of  synods;  .  .  . 
none  ought  to  be  admitted  to  such  assemblies  but  those  whom  the 
churches  shall  send.  .  .  .  So,  in  ecclesiastical  councils,  not  only  the 
officers  but  others  may  receive  a  commission  from  the  churches, 
and  then  have  equal  power  with  the  pastor. — Increase  Mather:  Order 
of  the  Gospel  Justified. 

Pastor  and  Delegate.  The  churches  invited  to  assist  in  a  coun- 
cil are  represented  by  messengers  or  delegates  chosen  by  them  for 
the  particular  occasion.  By  ancient  usage,  the  pastor  of  a  church, 
having  been  duly  recognized  as  its  presiding  elder  or  bishop,  is 
always  expected  to  be  one  of  its  messengers;  and  the  letters  con- 
vening the  council  invite  each  church  to  be  represented  by  its  pas- 
tor and  delegates.  Yet,  in  the  council,  when  convened,  there  is  no 
distinction  of  authority  between  pastors  and  other  delegates. — Bos- 
ton Platform,  1865,  Part  III,  chp.  xxi,  2. 

May  Non-Congregationalists  Be  Invited  to  a  Council? 

The  inviting  of  an  individual,  or  even  of  a  church,  other 
than  Congregational,  does  not  invalidate  a  council.  If  the 
son  of  a  Methodist  minister  were  to  be  ordained  by  a  Con- 
gregational council,  it  would  be  proper  to  invite  his  father 
as  an  individual  member  of  the  council.  If  it  were  proposed 
to  organize  a  Congregational  church  in  a  given  district,  it 
might  be  not  only  courteous  but  desirable  that  the  neigh- 
boring Presbyterian  church  should  be  invited  to  the  council. 
Are  Individual  Members  Always  Ministers?  The  lib- 
erty of  inviting  individual  members  is  not  restricted  to  min- 
isters. A  distinguished  layman  may  sometimes  properly 
be  invited.  For  instance,  the  president  of  the  American 
Board  might  with  propriety  be  invited  to  a  council  called 
to  ordain  a  missionary,  even  though  the  local  church  of 
which  he  was  a  member  were  quite  outside  the  circle  of 
invited  churches.  The  president  of  the  college  of  which 
the  candidate  is  an  alumnus  may  properly  be  included  in  a 
letter  missive  for  ordination.  But  there  is  manifest  reason 
why  less  freedom  should  be  exercised  in  inviting  lay  than 
ministerial  individuals  to  councils.  A  minister,  even  when 
invited  as  an  individual,  still  retains  something  of  a  repre- 
sentative character  in  a  church  council.  His  office  makes 
him  a  part  of  the  organic  life  of  the  denomination.  Laymen 
when  invited  as  individuals  are  practically  certain  to  be 


270         THE    LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

chosen  for  personal  reasons.  No  council  should  be  com- 
posed of  a  preponderance  of  individuals ;  and  there  are  good 
reasons  why  few  laymen  are  invited  as  individual  members 
of  councils. 

Have  Individuals  Any  Standing  in  Council?  There  does  not 
appear  to  be  any  Congregational  authority  whatever  for  the  par- 
ticular church  that  assembles  the  council  to  invite  individuals  to 
sit  and  act  in  the  same,  in  their  own  persons  and  right,  and  not 
as  the  representatives  of  sister  churches. — Upham:  Ratio  Disci- 
plinse,  pp.  126-127. 

Is  a  Council  Composed  Wholly  of  Ministers  Valid?    It 

is.  A  church  may  invite  a  council  of  ministers,  and  if  their 
churches  authorize  them  to  act,  the  council  is  as  valid  as 
any  other.  But  a  council  of  individual  ministers,  respond- 
ing personally  to  a  letter  missive  not  submitted  to  their 
respective  churches  for  action,  would  have  no  authority. 
It  might  act  as  a  board  of  arbitration,  or  give  advice  accord- 
ing to  its  wisdom,  but  it  would  not  be  an  ecclesiastical 
council. 

Is  a  Council  of  Laymen  Valid?  It  is.  A  church  may 
invite  a  council  requesting  the  invited  churches  to  send  one 
or  more  delegates,  men  of  business  experience  and  wisdom 
in  practical  affairs.  If  the  churches  accept  the  invitation 
and  elect  a  council  of  laymen,  the  finding  of  the  council  will 
be  valid. 

Such  councils,  however,  are  unusual.  It  is  desirable  that 
they  be  infrequent.  The  ideal  council  is  composed  of  both 
ministers  and  lay  delegates  from  the  churches. 

Laymen  and  Ministers  in  Council.  There  is  Weight  in  Austin's 
Argument,  viz.  That  the  power  of  the  Keyes  belongs  to  the  whole 
church;  And  that  therefore  not  the  Pastors  only  should  have  their 
voice  in  Councils.  Since  Councils  represent  the  Churches  by 
whom  they  are  Chosen,  it  is  meet  that  some  of  each  order  should 
be  chosen.  Church-members  are  fellow  Citizens,  and  therefore 
ought  not  to  be  deprived  of  their  power. 

It  is  not  their  Office  but  the  Churches  Delegation  that  giveth 
power  to  be  the  members  in  Synods.  The  Specificating  act  in 
which  Synodal  power  and  so  the  right  of  a  Decisive  Vote  is 
sounded,  is  the  Churches  Delegation.  None  ought  to  be  Admitted 
into  such  Assemblies,  but  those  whom  the  Churches  shall  send. — 
Increase  Mather:  The  Order  of  the  Gospel,  Boston,  1700,  pp.  85,  86. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS 271 

Should  a  Council  Be  Called  for  Licensure?  A  council 
is  not  a  suitable  body  to  consider  the  question  of  licensure. 
A  licentiate  should  be  under  the  permanent  care  of  an  Asso- 
ciation during  the  period  of  his  candidacy  for  the  ministry. 
A  council  called  to  ordain  a  man  and  finding  him  not  quali- 
fied, may  commend  him  to  the  District  Association  for 
licensure,  but  should  on  no  account  presume  to  issue  a  cer- 
tificate of  licensure. 

Council  for  Licensure.  A  council  is  not  the  proper  body  to 
license  or  approve  a  candidate  for  the  ministry,  because  this  is  not 
an  ecclesiastical  act,  but  only  a  nomination,  as  a  basis  for  ecclesias- 
tical action,  and  because  a  license  is  given  for  a  limited  period 
to  be  renewed  or  not  by  the  body  giving  it,  and  a  council  is  not 
a  continuous  body  and  so  cannot  issue  or  refuse  such  a  renewal. — 
Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p.  104. 

May  the  Council  Examine  When  Not  Invited  So  to 

Do?  Churches  have  been  known  to  withhold  from  letters 
missive  any  invitation  to  the  invited  council  to  examine 
the  candidate  or  the  records  of  the  church.  The  inviting 
church  has  a  right  to  limit  the  action  of  the  council  in  this 
way,  if  it  chooses,  and  the  churches  have  the  right  to  say 
whether  they  will  accept  such  an  invitation.  A  notable 
instance  was  that  of  the  Old  South  Church  in  Boston,  in  a 
service  in  1884.  The  letter  missive  contained  no  invitation 
to  examine  the  candidate.  It  read :  "You  are  hereby  cor- 
dially invited  to  participate  by  pastor  and  a  delegate  in  the 
proceeding  of  the  council  when  the  action  of  the  church 
and  society  and  the  correspondence  in  connection  with  the 
call  will  be  read  before  you,  and  the  pastor  elect  will  make 
a  statement  of  his  religious  beliefs,  preparatory  to  the  usual 
service  in  the  evening."  The  reservation  in  this  letter  mis- 
sive was  made  with  intent,  as  there  was  some  reason  to 
anticipate  that  not  all  the  members  of  the  council  would 
approve  the  theological  views  of  the  candidate.  The  letter 
missive  virtually  served  notice  on  the  churches  invited  that 
the  inviting  church  retained  the  right  to  install  its  pastor 
elect  even  if  the  council  did  not  approve.  But  even  in  this 
case  there  was  no  attempt  to  restrict  the  liberty  of  the 


272        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

council  in  the  matter  of  examination.  The  pastor  elect  pre- 
sented his  paper,  and  the  examination  which  followed  was 
a  very  thorough  one. 

In  other  cases  the  expression,  "to  examine  the  candi- 
date," has  been  intentionally  omitted  from  the  letter  mis- 
sive, and  the  reservation  implied  in  that  omission  is  within 
the  prerogative  of  the  inviting  church.  However,  it  does 
not  follow  that  the  council  has  no  right  to  ask  questions. 
Reasonable  questions  are  still  in  order.  If  the  council  is 
to  express  any  judgment  of  the  action  of  the  church,  the 
members  of  the  council  have  the  right  to  call  for  the  essen- 
tial facts  on  which  to  base  their  judgment.  The  church  or 
candidate  may  decline  to  answer  reasonable  questions,  but  if 
so,  the  council  has  the  equal  privilege  of  declining  to  ap- 
prove the  action  of  the  church  because  of  the  withholding 
of  the  information  which  the  council  had  the  right  to  expect. 

Limitation  of  Council.  Occasionally  a  church  has  sent  out  a 
letter  missive  for  a  service  of  installation  in  which  it  has  not  dis- 
tinctly asked  the  council  to  satisfy  itself  by  examination  in  regard 
to  the  matters  involved  before  voting  to  co-operate.  If  the  in- 
vited churches  believe  that  they  are  not  asked  to  examine  the  case 
before  them  and  give  their  advice  and  assistance  with  freedom, 
they  should  decline  the  invitation;  it  would  not  be  to  a  Congre- 
gational council.  If,  however,  as  has  usually  been  the  case,  the 
inviting  church  does  not  intend  to  limit  the  churches  so  that  their 
only  possible  action  is  that  of  acquiescence,  and  on  the  clear  un- 
derstanding that  a  Congregational  council  can  only  be  asked  to 
advise  and  to  act  its  free  pleasure,  the  mere  variation  in  the  form 
of  the  invitation  should  not  invalidate  the  call  or  at  all  afifect  the 
proceedings  of  the  council.  The  letter  ought,  however,  expressly 
to  submit  the  matters  involved  for  examination,  and  ask  for  advice 
and  co-operation.  If  that  is  not  desired,  a  council  should  not  be 
called,  or,  if  called,  the  invitation  should  be  declined.  It  is  too 
late,  however,  to  find  fault  with  the  letter  after  accepting  the  in- 
vitation which  it  contains. — Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p.  108. 

Dr.  Boynton  is  not  quite  accurate  in  saying  that  "it  is 
too  late  to  find  fault."  The  council  may  find  fault,  and  not 
only  so,  may  refuse  in  such  a  case  to  go  forward.  But  this 
will  not  ordinarily  be  necessary. 

What  Are  Reasonable  Limits  in  Examination  of  a 
Candidate?  The  candidate  presenting  himself  for  ordina- 
tion or  installation  must  expect  to  assure  the  council  of  his 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS  273 

Christian  experience,  call  to  preach,  and  record  in  the  min- 
istry. Any  question  is  in  order  which  will  help  the  council 
to  a  decision  concerning  these  matters.  In  case  of  installa- 
tion, some  things  may  be  taken  for  granted  which  are 
proper  matters  of  inquiry  in  the  ordination  service.  A  man 
who  has  been  working  successfully  in  the  ministry,  and 
who  brings  with  him  satisfactory  credentials,  may  indeed 
expect  to  be  questioned,  but  not  as  if  he  were  applying  for 
a  license  to  preach,  or  even  for  ordination. 

The  minister  himself,  and  the  church  calling  him,  has 
the  right  to  expect  that  his  years  of  service  will  count  for 
something  and  that  the  form  of  the  examination  will  be 
such  as  to  recognize  the  standing  he  already  has  attained 
in  the  ministry. 

Installation  is  no  longer  re-ordination,  nor  is  a  service 
of  examination  provided  as  a  means  of  gratifying  an  unrea- 
sonable curiosity  concerning  irrelevant  or  trivial  matters 
of  opinion. 

A  council  should  not  be  permitted  to  degenerate  into  a 
debating  club,  or  an  arena  in  which  a  candidate  is  subjected 
to  torture  for  the  amusement  of  delegates  holding  theologi- 
cal eccentricities. 

Is  a  Council  a  Court?  A  council  is  not  a  court.  In  the 
felicitous  language  of  Dr.  Dexter,  "it  is  the  affectionate 
persuasive  presence  of  near  friends,  tenderly  concerned  to 
have  all  that  is  unclear  clarified  and  all  that  is  selfish  or 
exorbitant,  or  only  misunderstood  or  misdone,  readjusted 
into  the  harmony  of  absolute  right"  (Congregationalism  as 
Seen  in  Its  Literature,  p.  691). 

Yet  there  is  an  important  sense  in  which  the  council  in 
Congregationalism  becomes  a  court  of  last  resort;  and  this 
was  recognized  by  the  National  Council  in  1886. 

Force  of  Council  Decrees.  The  doctrine  which  is  maintained  by 
those  who  follow  the  language  of  Rev.  Samuel  Mather,  in  his 
"Apology  for  the  Liberties  of  the  Churches  of  New  England," 
that  councils  can  neither  pretend  to  nor  desire  any  power  that  is 
juridical;  that,  "when  they  have  done  all,  the  churches  are  still 
free  to  accept  or  refuse  their  advice" — has  too  often  been  made 
a  pretense  for  self-will  and  disorderly  conduct.     The  decrees  of 


274        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

such  councils  as  have  had  the  reasonableness  that  is  secured  by 
purity  of  motive,  dispassionateness  of  judgment,  wisdom  in  adapt- 
ing means  to  ends,  have  seldom  been  wanting  in  both  the  appear- 
ance and  the  reality  of  force. — Ladd:  Principles  of  Church  Polity, 
p.  297. 

Is  a  Council  an  Appellate  Body?  Appeal  may  be  made 
to  a  council ;  yet  the  Congregational  spirit  is  not  favorable 
to  a  system  of  appeals  from  lower  to  higher  authority. 
Local  differences  are  to  be  settled  locally;  and  when  there 
is  need  of  advice  it  is  given  on  request  by  churches  and 
brethren  near  at  hand  and  interested  in  the  peace  and  good 
name  of  the  churches,  and  not  carried  on  and  up  through 
a  long  series  of  courts  to  prolonged  and  possibly  hopeless 
disagreement.  In  the  matter  of  appeals,  Cummings  thus 
summarizes  our  older  authorities: 

John  Davenport  shows  in  his  "Power  of  Congregational 
Churches,"  that  they  are  endless  in  the  practical  application;  for, 
if  the  principle  is  once  admitted,  there  is  no  consistent  stopping- 
place  short  of  a  general  ecumenical  council,  which  may  not  assem- 
ble for  an  age.  Richard  Mather  and  W.  Tompson  (Hanbury,  ii, 
p.  65)  press  the  same  argument  concerning  appeals  to  discipline 
churches.  John  Wise  ("Vindication,"  p.  54),  doubtless  referring  to 
Matt.  18,  says:  "There  is  apparently  some  great  fallacy  in  the 
objection  (i.  e.,  to  the  ultimate  power  resting  in  the  church),  or 
certainly  our  blessed  Saviour  did  not  state  his  cases  right."  .  .  . 
Dr.  Emmons  ("Platform,"  "Works,"  v,  p.  454)  says:  "Christ  here 
gives  no  direction  to  the  censured  person  to  appeal  to  any  higher 
tribunal,  .  .  .  nor  to  the  church  to  call  a  council  for  advice.  The 
censured  person  has  no  right  of  appeal.  .  .  .  because  there  is  no 
higher  tribunal  on  earth  to  which  he  can  appeal.  .  .  .  There  must 
be  a  final  decision,  and  the  church  must  make  it."  His  reasoning 
looks  like  not  allowing  the  aggrieved  a  right  to  seek  admission  to 
other  churches;  but  this  was  not  probably  his  meaning. — Cummings: 
Cong.  Diet.,  Appeals, 

Council  a  Court  of  Last  Resort.  If  we  need  a  safeguard  against 
other  polities,  here  is  one.  The  Presbyterian  may  carry  his 
troubles  up  the  line,  to  presbytery,  synod  and  assembly,  and  accept 
the  results  formulated  in  the  distant  judicatories.  The  Congrega- 
tionalist  turns  back  to  the  local  churches  whose  fraternal  advice 
is  his  final  dependence.  As  long  as  this  method  of  appeal  stands, 
a  drift  into  other  polities  is  blocked.  Equally  blocked  is  a  tend- 
ency into  any  sort  of  perilous  centralization.  We  may  freely  de- 
velop the  local  association,  only  keeping  the  council  behind  it  as 
court  of  appeal.  This  turn  is  pivotal  in  our  polity;  upon  it  we 
swing  back  to  the  pro  re  nata  action  of  the  churches.  And  should 
the  council  come  to  be  mainly  limited  to  this  function  of  appeal, 
it  would  therein  retain  eminence  and  power  such  as  should  satisfy 
its  most  jealous  advocates. — Nash:  Cong.  Administration,  pp.  97-98. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS 275 

What  Are  the  Sessions  of  a  Council?  The  sessions  of 
a  council  are  of  three  kinds:  the  opening  business  session, 
the  executive  session,  and  the  public  session. 

(a)  The  Opening  Business  Session.  The  purpose  of  the 
opening  business  session  is  one  of  inquiry.  The  council 
should  hear  in  the  presence  of  all  interested  parties  a  full 
statement  of  the  business  to  come  before  it.  When  it  has 
heard  all  that  it  judges  to  be  pertinent  thereto,  it  is  common 
to  vote  that  the  council  be  by  itself.  The  successive  votes 
taken  by  the  council  in  its  opening  business  session,  "That 
the  papers  thus  far  be  deemed  satisfactory,"  should  not  be 
understood  as  opening  to  discussion  the  main  question  for 
which  the  council  is  called.  Members  of  the  council  have 
been  known  to  err  on  this  point.  If,  for  instance,  a  candi- 
date for  the  ministry  has  submitted  a  certificate  of  his 
church  membership,  of  his  college  and  seminary  graduation, 
of  his  licensure,  and  of  his  call,  the  council  may  very  prop- 
erly entertain  a  motion  that  the  papers  thus  far  be  deemed 
satisfactory.  That,  however,  is  no  time  for  some  enthusi- 
astic friend  of  the  candidate  to  offer  an  eulogy  upon  him  or 
to  discuss  the  question  of  his  ordination.  It  is  not  good 
form  for  members  of  the  council  to  attempt  to  anticipate 
its  finding  by  remarks  upon  routine  motions  of  this  char- 
acter. The  purpose  of  the  public  session  is  to  get  all  the 
facts  before  the  body  in  the  most  prompt  and  orderly  man- 
ner possible,  and  it  is  a  discourtesy  to  the  council  for  one 
of  its  members  to  use  this  session  as  an  opportunity  for 
discussions  which  should  be  in  private. 

(b)  The  Executive  Session  of  the  Council.  It  is  custom- 
ary and  eminently  proper  that  the  council  should  retire 
and  consider  the  business  before  it  in  executive  session. 
Even  where  there  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  of  the  action 
of  the  council,  it  is  orderly  and  according  to  usage  that  the 
representatives  of  the  churches  should  give  calm  and  judi- 
cial attention  to  the  business  on  which  they  are  called,  and 
that  this  should  be  done  in  a  room  where  they  may  speak 
in  perfect  freedom  and  apart  from  the  possible  embarrass- 


276        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

ment  of  interested  parties.  The  council  being  by  itself 
should  proceed  as  directly  as  may  be  to  the  consideration 
of  the  business  that  has  been  presented  to  it.  It  does  this 
upon  a  motion.  If  its  business  is  the  ordination  of  a  min- 
ister, the  form  of  the  first  motion  usually  is,  "That  the 
examination  be  sustained."  This  motion  opens  the  whole 
question  of  the  examination  for  discussion.  It  is  customary 
to  give  every  member  opportunity  to  participate.  Some- 
times this  is  done  by  the  calling  of  the  roll  for  a  yea  and 
nay  vote,  each  member  being  permitted  to  speak  briefly  as 
he  casts  his  vote.  Whatever  the  nature  of  the  business,  it 
should  be  considered  in  order,  and  the  full  will  of  the 
council  expressed  upon  a  definite  motion. 

The  council  having  determined  what  it  will  do,  it  is 
customary  to  appoint  a  committee  to  formulate  its  judg- 
ment. This  is  done  in  an  official  document  called  "The 
Finding  of  the  Council."  In  case  of  ordination  or  installa- 
tion, the  finding  is  usually  presented  in  the  form  of  an  order 
of  public  service,  which  is  submitted  for  adoption.  In  case 
of  dismission,  the  finding  is  in  the  form  of  resolutions  com- 
mending the  retiring  pastor  and  the  church.  These  resolu- 
tions are  not  mere  matters  of  courtesy;  they  form  a  part 
of  the  permanent  records  of  the  church,  and  are  an  essential 
credential  of  the  retiring  pastor. 

While  the  committee  is  out  conferring  with  the  pastor 
elect  or  the  church  committee,  or  formulating  its  finding, 
the  council  may  review  its  own  records,  correct  its  roll,  and 
have  its  work  in  order. 

The  report  of  the  committee,  which  may  be  expected 
by  the  time  the  records  are  read  and  approved,  will  com- 
plete the  records  up  to  this  point,  and  the  council  may  take 
recess  until  the  public  service,  if  one  is  to  follow,  or  may 
complete  its  work  and  dissolve. 

It  is  usual  to  vote,  "That  the  scribe  have  authority  to 
complete  the  records,  and  that  at  the  close  of  the  public 
service  the  moderator  declare  the  council  dissolved." 


ECCLESIASTICAL   COUNCILS  277 

This  formal  motion  is  not  strictly  necessary,  and  where 
it  is  inadvertently  omitted  these  officers  are  free  to  con- 
sider these  duties  among  their  necessary  prerogatives. 

(c)  The  Public  Session.  The  public  session  is  not  an 
invariable  part  of  the  proceedings  of  a  council,  for  a  council 
is  called  merely  for  advice  and  gives  that  advice  through 
the  adoption  of  a  formal  resolution  to  be  entered  upon  the 
records  of  a  church  or  delivered  to  the  parties  calling  the 
council.  It  is  not  always  necessary,  and  it  often  is  not 
desirable,  that  there  be  a  public  service,  but  in  cases  involv- 
ing the  recognition  of  a  church,  or  the  ordination  or  instal- 
lation of  a  minister,  and  in  many  other  instances,  it  is 
eminently  fitting  that  the  work  of  the  council  conclude 
with  a  public  service,  wherein  the  finding  shall  be  read  and 
the  congregation  publicly  apprised  of  what  the  council  has 
done;  and  thus  the  council  may  properly  close  with  digni- 
fied public  exercises. 

Should  Councils  Vote  by  Churches?  Rarely  is  there  so 
sharp  a  difference  of  opinion  in  councils  that  a  vote  would 
be  modified  if  taken  by  churches  instead  of  by  individuals. 
Yet  if  such  a  situation  should  arise,  it  would  be  in  order  to 
insist  that  a  council  of  churches  should  record  its  vote  by 
churches,  the  pastor  and  delegate,  if  both  are  present,  agree- 
ing in  their  vote,  or  dividing  if  they  are  unable  to  agree, 
and  leaving  the  decision  to  the  churches  that  have  a  united 
judgment. 

How  Should  a  Council  Be  Addressed?  If  a  church  or 
an  individual  has  occasion  to  address  a  formal  communica- 
tion to  a  council,  the  proper  form  is  not,  "To  the  Honorable 
Council,"  or  "We  petition  your  Honorable  Body,"  that  form 
of  address  belonging  to  political  and  judicial  bodies.  The 
correct  form  is,  "To  the  Venerable  Council"  and  "We  peti- 
tion your  Venerable  Body." 

What  Is  the  Finding  of  a  Council?  The  official  judg- 
ment of  a  council  on  a  matter  submitted  to  it  is  known  as 
"the  finding."     This  is  commonly  formulated  by  a  com- 


278        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

mittee  after  the  council  has  expressed  its  general  judgment 
by  the  adoption  of  a  motion.  The  vote  by  which  the  coun- 
cil determines  what  it  will  do  is  commonly  a  general  vote, 
as  "That  the  examination  be  sustained,"  or  "That  the  coun- 
cil approve  the  dissolution  of  the  pastoral  relation,"  or 
"That  the  council  finds  that  the  Rev.  John  Doe  has  been 
guilty  of  conduct  unbecoming  a  minister  of  the  gospel."  A 
simple  motion  of  this  kind  brings  before  the  council  di- 
rectly the  main  question  which  has  brought  it  together, 
and  if  the  motion  prevail  the  principal  point  is  settled. 
However,  there  is  often  something  more  to  be  said.  If  the 
council  be  called  to  dissolve  a  pastorate,  the  retiring  pastor 
may  deserve  a  resolution  of  commendation,  or  the  church 
may  need  advice,  or  in  case  some  one  has  misbehaved  the 
precise  ground  of  disapproval  should  be  stated  with  pre- 
cision and  care.  A  committee  to  formulate  the  finding  is 
exceedingly  valuable  in  such  a  case.  The  vote  which  the 
council  has  taken  declares  the  thing  which  the  council 
wants  to  do,  and  the  discussion  later  indicates  the  general 
sentiment  of  the  council  in  the  matter.  A  committee  can 
formulate  this  finding  and  present  it  to  the  council  in  shape 
for  discussion,  amendment  and  adoption.  This  finding, 
having  been  adopted,  becomes  the  official  statement  of  the 
council's  judgment  in  the  premises. 

Is  the  Decision  of  a  Council  Binding  Upon  the  Parties 
Calling  It?  In  theory,  the  finding  of  a  council  has  only  so 
m.uch  force  as  there  is  force  in  the  reason  of  it,  and  may 
freely  be  disregarded  by  the  parties  calling  the  council. 
The  early  decisions  of  the  courts  following  this  theory 
were  generally  to  the  effect  that  a  council  cannot  enforce 
its  finding.  There  is,  however,  a  manifest  and  exceedingly 
important  exception  to  this  rule,  namely,  that  when  any 
vote  or  agreement  is  made  conditional  upon  the  approval 
of  a  council,  the  finding  of  a  council  in  that  case  is  final.  A 
church  which  invites  a  council  to  examine  a  candidate  for 
its  pastorate  cannot  proceed  to  ordain  the  candidate  if  the 
council  refuses  to  do  so.     It  can  call  another  council  and 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS  279 

carry  through  its  will  in  this  manner,  but  if  it  does  so  the 
churches  acting  through  the  association  may  refuse  to  rec- 
ognize the  finding  of  the  "packed"  council  as  valid.  So 
long  as  the  matter  submitted  to  the  council  affects  only  the 
church  or  parties  inviting  the  council,  the  advice  may  be 
freely  disregarded,  unless  there  has  been  a  previous  pledge 
to  abide  by  the  finding  of  a  council.  But  when  the  action 
affects  the  welfare  of  the  churches  as  a  whole,  the  churches 
have  an  indubitable  right  to  make  their  will  effective  in 
those  matters  which  concern  the  common  good.  When, 
therefore,  a  council  is  called  and  the  parties  calling  it  agree 
to  abide  by  its  finding  or  make  an  action  contingent  upon 
the  approval  of  the  council,  the  finding  of  the  council  is 
virtually  final  and  will  be  recognized  by  the  courts,  pro- 
vided it  can  be  shown  that  the  council  acted  within  its 
jurisdiction. 

The  literature  on  the  authority  of  councils  is  voluminous, 
and  the  historic  decision  is  that,  except  as  above  stated,  the 
finding  of  councils  has  advisory  weight  only. 

No  Jurisdiction  Over  Local  Churches.  Christ  has  not  subjected 
any  church  or  congregation  to  any  other  superior  ecclesiastical 
jurisdiction  than  that  which  is  within  itself;  ...  no  other  churches 
or  spiritual  officers  have  power  to  censure  or  punish  them,  but 
only  to  counsel  and  advise  them. — Bradshaw:  English  Puritanism, 
ii,  4. 

There  is  no  jurisdiction,  to  which  particular  churches  are  or 
ought  to  be  subject,  by  way  of  authoritative  censure. — Hutchinson: 
History  of  Mass.,  Vol.  I,  p.  371. 

Our  churches  acknowledge  no  jurisdiction  of  sister  churches 
over  them,  but  hold  themselves  to  be  capable,  and  to  have  the 
power,  to  determine  all  matters  of  discipline  that  arise  in  a  particu- 
lar church.  The  moment  jurisdiction  enters,  like  creating  Csesar 
perpetual  dictator,  the  beginning  of  the  absolute  loss  of  liberty 
commences.  .  .  .  The  exigencies  of  the  Christian  church  can  never 
be  such  as  to  legitimate,  much  less  to  render  it  wise,  to  erect  any 
body  of  men  into  a  standing  judicatory  over  them. — Stiles:  Con- 
vention Sermon,  45  et  seq. 

Where  a  church  wants  light,  she  should  send  for  counsel,  but 
preserve  the  power  entirely  in  her  own  hands,  where  Christ  has 
placed  it. — Davenport:  Power  of  Congregational  Churches. 

The  power  of  councils  is  merely  advisory;  nor  can  they  volun- 
teer that  service.  They  cannot  come  till  they  are  asked,  nor  extend 
their  inquiries  beyond  the  point  submitted.— /wd^e  Haven:  Dedham 
Case,   1819. 

Churches  reserve  to  themselves  to  refuse  or  accept  the  advice  of 


280        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

council:  .  .  .  Congregational  churches  universally  hold  a  nega- 
tive on  the  result  of  council.  .  .  .  The  decision  of  council  is  of 
no  force,  till  received  and  ratified  by  the  inviting  church,  nor  does 
it  render  that  church  obnoxious  to  community  if  she  recedes  from 
advice  of  council. — Stiles:  Convention  Sermon,  pp.  46-48. 

May  Churches  Agree  to  Accept  Advice?  Bliss,  in  his  History 
of  Rehoboth,  shows  that  the  parties  bound  themselves  beforehand 
to  abide  the  result  of  council  relative  to  the  dismission  of  Mr. 
Carnes  in  1763.  This  is  the  earliest  instance  which  I  have  noticed, 
save  the  cases  to  which  John  White  alludes  in  his  Lamentations  in 
Wise's  Quarrel,  p.  165. — Cummings:  Cong.  Diet.,  Councils. 

Are  Councils  More  than  Advisory?     The  affirmation  so 

often  made,  and  stoutly  insisted  upon,  that  the  action  of  a 

council  is  advisory  only,  calls  for  important  qualification. 

In   many  matters,  even   where  there  is  no  agreement   to 

abide  by  the  finding  of  the  council,  its  result  is  necessarily 

final. 

Standing  in  Civil  Courts.  The  result  of  a  council  is  in  many 
cases  necessarily  only  advisory,  and  a  church  may  decline  to  act  in 
accordance  with  it  without  incurring  censure,  but  in  some  cases 
the  result  is  necessarily  conclusive.  Thus,  a  council  called  to  act 
upon  the  proposed  ordination  of  a  minister,  and  proceedmg  to  or- 
dain him,  of  course  determines  the  question.  A  council  called  with 
power  to  declare  the  dissolution  of  a  pastoral  relation  can  decide 
imperatively,  but  such  power  is  seldom  given.  The  courts  in 
Massachusetts,  and  also  in  some  other  states,  have  recognized  the 
existence  of  councils  as  a  part  of  our  polity,  and  have  declared 
that  when  a  council  is  impartially  selected,  and  proceeds  accord- 
ing to  the  ordinary  principles  of  fairness,  either  party  accepting  the 
result  of  such  council  will  be  sustained  by  law  in  cases  within  the 
cognizance  of  law. — Alonzo  H.  Quint:  in  Dunning's  Congregation- 
alists  in  America,  p.  497. 

May  a  Council  Adjourn?    A  council  may  adjourn  when 

its  business  is  not  completed,  but  it  does  not  often  do  so, 

and  as  a  rule  should  not.    A  council  "takes  recess"  between 

sessions,  usually  on  the  same  day,  or  on  successive  days, 

attending  to  its  business  until  its  work  is  done.     At  the 

close  of  its  work  it  either  adjourns  without  date  or  more 

properly  dissolves.     Either  form  of  motion  is  in  order,  but 

the  motion  "That  the  council  do  now  dissolve"  is  in  better 

form  than  "That  the  council  adjourn  without  day."     The 

reason  is  that  adjournment  in  any  form  is  suggestive  of 

continuity  of  service,  and  is  more  or  less  foreign  to  the  idea 

of  a  council. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS  281 

Occasions  sometimes  arise  which  call  for  the  adjourn- 
ment of  a  council.  For  instance,  a  church  calls  a  council 
to  advise  it  in  the  matter  of  its  proposed  disbanding.  The 
general  evidence  presented  to  the  council  indicates  that 
the  church  cannot  longer  be  maintained,  yet  a  few^  brave 
souls  ask  for  two  weeks  in  which  to  make  an  earnest  can- 
vass to  rally  the  support  both  of  members  and  of  money 
for  the  maintenance  of  the  church.  The  council  may  very 
properly  heed  their  request  and  lend  them  whatever  en- 
couragement it  deems  wise  in  their  undertaking. 

Quite  of  another  sort  is  the  adjournment  some  councils 
have  been  known  to  take.  They  have  completed  their 
work,  adopted  their  finding,  and  then  adjourned  to  see 
whether  that  finding  was  followed.  In  one  case,  a  council 
publicly  adjourned,  but  privately  agreed  that  it  would  come 
together  on  call  if  its  finding  did  not  settle  the  difficulty; 
and  in  the  course  of  a  month  the  council  re-convened  on  its 
own  initiative.  It  hardly  need  be  said  that  the  second  ses- 
sion of  this  council  was  entirely  without  authority  and  its 
finding  null  and  void. 

How  Are  Councils  Classified?  The  ordinary  ecclesiasti- 
cal council,  if  given  a  name  at  all,  takes  its  name  from  the 
business  it  is  called  to  transact,  as  "an  ordaining  council," 
or  "a  dismissing  council,"  or  sometimes  "a  council  of  ordi- 
nation" or  "of  dismission."  Where  two  parties  representing 
diverse  interests  join  in  calling  a  council,  it  is  called  a 
"mutual  council."  A  council  called  to  give  advice  on  mat- 
ters other  than  the  foregoing  is  commonly  called  "an  advis- 
ory council."  Where  a  council  is  called  by  a  single  party, 
but  where  only  one  side  of  a  grievance  is  represented  in 
the  call,  it  is  called  "an  ex-parte  council." 

Dr.  Ross  held  that  there  should  also  be  "uni  parte  coun- 
cils" in  which  there  is  no  opposition,  or  other  party  in 
agreement ;  and  "duo  parte  councils,"  inclusive  of  councils 
of  ordination,  installation,  dismission  or  recognition ;  that 
is,  a  council  called  by  two  parties  in  agreement,  but  these 


282         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

terms    have    not    made    their    way    into    common    usage 
(Church-Kingdom,  p.  275). 

What  Is  a  Mutual  Council?  A  mutual  council  is  a 
council  called  by  two  or  more  parties  representing  diverse 
interests.  A  council  called  by  two  churches  for  an  object 
where  the  interests  of  the  two  are  identical  is  not,  strictly 
speaking,  a  mutual  council.  For  instance,  two  yoked 
churches  uniting  in  a  single  service  of  ordination  call  a 
single  ordaining  council.  A  council  of  dismission  joined  in 
by  the  pastor  and  the  church  is  not  a  mutual  council  where 
the  two  are  in  complete  agreement.  A  council  called  by  a 
church  and  one  or  more  aggrieved  members  is  a  mutual 
council.  A  council  called  by  two  churches,  one  of  which 
has  received  into  membership  an  expelled  member  of  the 
other,  is  a  mutual  council.  A  council  called  by  a  church 
and  its  pastor  involving  a  difference  of  opinion  is  a  mutual 
council.  Where  there  is  a  mutual  council  the  two  parties 
agree  in  the  selection  of  the  churches  invited,  and  usually 
agree  to  abide  by  the  decision  of  the  council.  This  com- 
monly was  not  the  case  in  earlier  times.  Mutual  councils 
then  gave  their  advice  and  both  parties  could  accept  it,  or 
one  could  accept  it  and  the  other  reject  it,  or  both  could 
reject  it  as  they  saw  fit.  It  is  not  now  generally  considered 
a  courtesy  to  the  churches  to  call  them  to  a  mutual  council 
e>:cept  on  an  agreement  to  abide  by  their  decision.  In  this 
respect  there  has  been  a  marked  change  in  the  character 
of  mutual  councils,  for  they  are  usually  bodies  of  arbitration 
whose  finding  is  accepted  in  advance  as  an  essential  element 
in  their  call.  This,  however,  is  not  necessary  to  the  char- 
acter of  a  mutual  council,  which  may  be  called  for  advice 
only,  leaving  both  parties  entirely  and  independently  free. 
What  Is  an  Ex-Parte  Council?  An  ex-parte  council  is  a 
council  called  in  a  matter  that  would  be  submitted  to  a 
mutual  council  if  all  the  parties  involved  would  agree  to 
the  call  of  a  mutual  council,  but  in  which  one  or  more  of 
them  refuses.  In  such  a  case  an  ex-parte  council  is  called, 
in    order    that    an    ecclesiastical    body    representing    the 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS  283 

churches  may  contribute  the  weight  of  its  judgment  to  the 
attempt  to  adjust  a  grievance. 

Ex-parte  councils  are  governed  by  the  same  general  laws 
that  apply  to  other  councils,  but  have  a  few  special  rules 
growing  out  of  their  public  nature.  The  first  and  funda- 
mental rule  of  an  ex-parte  council  is  that,  being  organized, 
it  shall  carefully  consider  whether  the  difficulty  is  one 
which  an  ex-parte  council  can  reasonably  hope  to  assist. 
If  the  injury  complained  of  is  a  purely  local  one,  whose 
results  lie  entirely  within  the  local  church,  a  council  cannot 
properly  be  called  and  should  refuse  to  act.  The  assistance 
of  the  churches  in  their  organic  unity  should  be  invoked 
only  in  matters  that  transcend  local  limits.  For  instance, 
if  a  church  member  has  been  privately  censured  by  his 
church,  but  not  publicly  condemned,  and  his  membership 
remains  intact,  he  cannot  call  an  ex-parte  council  to  adjust 
what  he  deems  a  grievance  that  is  purely  local  in  its  char- 
acter. If  an  ex-parte  council  has  convened  and  organized, 
and  finds  that  the  occasion  of  its  call  is  of  any  such  nature 
as  this,  it  should  promptly  decide  that  it  has  no  jurisdiction 
in  the  premises,  and  convey  this  finding  to  the  parties  call- 
ing it. 

As  soon  as  an  ex-parte  council  is  organized,  and  finds,  or 
apears  to  find,  that  the  matter  concerning  which  it  is 
called  is  one  over  which  it  has  jurisdiction,  its  very  next 
duty  is  to  offer  itself  as  a  mutual  council.  In  order  to  ac- 
complish this  highly  desirable  result,  it  should  urge  upon 
the  party  calling  it  all  reasonable  concessions.  Its  findings 
can  have  no  weight  whatever  unless  its  records  show  that 
it  has  exhausted  all  reasonable  effort  to  induce  both  parties 
to  join  the  council.  If  it  can  accomplish  this  result  it  ceases 
to  be  an  ex-parte  council  and  becomes  a  mutual  council. 

If  an  ex-parte  council  utterly  fails  to  induce  both  parties 
to  join  in  it  and  finds  reason  to  believe  that  there  is  a 
grievance  deserving  of  its  investigation  and  not  remediable 
through  any  other  course,  it  may  proceed  in  the  light  of 
such  evidence  as  it  has,  investigate  as  fully  as  it  is  able  to 


284        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

do  all  the  issues  involved,  and  give  such  advice   as  the 
premises  seem  to  warrant. 

There  is  one  other  special  rule  of  ex-parte  councils, 
which  is  in  its  nature  an  exception  to  all  ordinary  rules 
governing  the  call  of  councils,  and  this  is  given  under  the 
caption,  "May  a  council  increase  or  diminish  its  own  mem- 
bership?" 

Ex-Parte  Council.  The  churches  of  New  England  have  a  remedy 
for  oppression,  that  is  to  say,  a  council.  If  the  church  refuse  to 
call  a  council,  the  aggrieved  may  do  it  without  them,  only  inform- 
ing them  what  he  does.  If  they  find  the  person  to  have  suffered 
palpable  injury,  they  endeavor  to  convince  the  church.  If  the 
church  refuse,  they  order  that  the  person  be  admitted  to  some 
other  church  in  the  neighborhood,  and  so  to  communion  with  them 
all. — Cotton  Mather:  Ratio  Disciplinse,  p.  158. 

Difference  of  Opinion  No  Ground  for  Ex-Parte  Council.  Noth- 
ing is  more  common  in  a  church  than  for  a  minority  which  is 
simply  thwarted  in  some  cherished  purpose  because  it  is  not  the 
majority,  but  which  has  suffered  no  impairment  of  rights,  to  pro- 
pose to  the  majority  to  leave  their  "difficulties"  to  a  council,  and, 
when  the  proposition  has  been  declined,  to  fancy  they  have  a  good 
case  for  one  ex-parte.  They  have  no  case  at  all.  The  church  has 
no  right  to  ask  other  churches  to  do  what  is  its  own  proper  work, 
and  the  "aggrieved"  have  no  grievance  which  concerns  other 
churches,  because  their  relations  with  them  remain  what  they  al- 
ways have  been.  Of  course  any  church  which  desires  advice  has 
always  the  right  to  ask  for  it.  But  for  a  church  simply  to  decline 
to  ask  advice  when  some  members  wish  to  have  advice  taken,  is 
in  itself  no  sufficient  ground  for  the  calling  of  an  ex-parte  council. 
It  is  almost  always  wise,  however,  for  a  church  to  grant  a  mutual 
council. — Dexter:  Handbook,  p.  119. 

May  a  Council  Increase  or  Diminish  Its  Own  Member- 
ship? A  council  may  not  increase  or  diminish  its  own 
membership.  The  full  list  of  members  invited  to  the  coun- 
cil should  be  sent  to  the  churches  with  the  letter  missive. 
The  list  of  invited  churches  is  a  part  of  the  invitation  on 
the  basis  of  which  the  churches  agree  to  be  present  in  the 
council.  A  council  may  not  elect  corresponding  members 
as  an  Association  does.  It  may  permit  a  visiting  brother 
to  speak,  but  not  as  a  member  of  the  council.  It  may  invite 
?  visiting  minister  to  participate  in  the  public  service,  but 
his  act  in  such  a  service  is  performed  in  his  capacity  as  a 
minister  of  the  gospel  and  not  as  a  member  of  the  council. 


ECCLESIASTICAL   COUNCILS  285 


The  rule  that  a  council's  membership  cannot  be  changed 
is,  with  a  single  exception,  an  invariable  one.  There  should 
be  reason  in  all  things,  and  this  rule  should  not  be  so  en- 
forced as  to  forbid  correction  of  a  mere  clerical  error,  but 
even  such  an  error  should  not  be  allowed  to  stand  if  there 
is  any  serious  question  of  intent  which  might  invalidate  the 
finding  of  the  council.  If  a  court  were  called  to  review  the 
finding  of  a  council  and  it  were  shown  that  the  council  had 
increased  its  membership,  the  court  would  almost  certainly 
decide  that  the  council  was  irregular  and  its  finding  invalid. 

There  is  only  one  exception  to  the  rule  that  a  council 
may  not  change  its  membership.  That  exception  is  impor- 
tant, and  should  be  noted.  When  an  ex-parte  council  is 
offering  its  services  as  a  mutual  council,  if  the  other  party 
objects  to  the  council  as  constituted  but  is  willing  to  accept 
it  if  there  be  added  to  its  membership  one  or  more  churches 
or  ministers  in  good  and  regular  standing,  and  the  party 
inviting  the  council  accepts  and  the  ex-parte  council  joins 
in  the  acceptance  of  the  added  members,  the  ex-parte  council 
in  re-organizing  as  a  mutual  council  may  thus  increase  its 
membership.  On  the  same  principle,  if  one  member  of  the 
ex-parte  council  were  strongly  objected  to  as  being  violently 
prejudiced  and  he  were  willing  to  withdraw  from  the  coun- 
cil for  the  sake  of  making  it  acceptable  to  the  hitherto  un- 
willing party,  the  council  might  change  its  membership  by 
the  omission  of  his  name,  but  this  could  only  be  done  where 
all  parties  were  agreed  to  it,  including  the  member  with- 
drawing. If  he,  or  his  church,  insisted  upon  his  right  to 
remain  in  the  council,  that  right  would  have  to  be  conceded. 

Is  the  Conciliar  System  an  Adequate  Protection  of  Our 
Churches?  The  conciliar  system  is  a  useful  system,  but 
standing  alone  is  not  an  adequate  protection  of  our  churches. 
President  Nash  has  called  attention  in  forceful  words  to 
the  peril  of  councils  of  ordination  apart  from  the  action  of 
responsible  and  permanent  bodies: 

Over  some  case  of  ministerial  delinquency  or  impotence  we  ask. 
Who   ordained   this  man?     A  council  in   Northeastern   Maine  or 


286        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Southwestern  California.  Write  that  council  and  charge  back  its 
blunder  upon  it;  bid  it  recall  those  ordination  papers  and  terminate 
the  mischievous  or  ineffective  career.  Impossible;  the  deed  was 
done  by  an  agency  irresponsible,  created  for  the  work  of  an  hour 
with  endless  consequences,  and  falling  apart  before  sunset. — Con- 
gregational Administration,  p.  92. 

If  the  conciliar  system  is  to  be  retained  as  an  integral 
part  of  our  Congregational  system,  it  must  be  strengthened 
and  compassed  with  checks  and  balances  by  authority  dele- 
gated by  the  churches  to  their  permanent  representative 
bodies,  especially  to  the  District  Association.  For  a  full 
discussion  of  the  merits  of  the  conciliar  system,  with  some 
predictions  for  its  growth  which  have  not  been  as  yet  ful- 
filled, the  reader  is  referred  to  the  able  paper  on  "The 
Future  of  Ecclesiastical  Councils"  by  Rev.  Henry  A.  Hazen, 
Secretary  of  the  National  Council,  in  the  Records  of  the 
Council  of  1898,  p.  166. 

The  Futtire  of  Ecclesiastical  Councils.  Ecclesiastical  councils 
are  among  the  most  characteristic  and  logical  products  of  our 
American  Congregationalism.  Our  fundamental  postulate,  the  in- 
dependence of  the  local  church,  subject  to  no  higher  authority  than 
that  of  the  Master,  necessitates  a  doctrine  of  fellowship,  which  shall 
set  these  churches  in  a  practical  and  working  harmony.  Without 
this  the  unfriendly  taunt  of  the  "rope  of  sand"  would  have  some 
foundation,  and  we  should  be  properly  a  laughing  stock  to  our 
neighbors,  who  cultivate  a  more  highly  developed  ecclesiasticism. 
As  has  been  wisely  said  more  than  once,  independence  and  fellow- 
ship are  the  foci  of  our  ellipse;  one  is  not  more  fundamental  than 
the  other. 

Of  the  fellowship  of  the  churches,  our  system  of  ecclesiastical 
councils  was,  for  two  hundred  years,  the  chief  form  of  expression. 
Through  this  the  churches  touched  hands  and  came  into  step  with 
each  other.  In  true  neighborly  fashion  they  shared  each  other's 
joys  and  helped  each  other  in  trial  and  difficulty.  When  a  new 
church  was  organized,  when  a  pastor  was  ordained,  installed,  or 
dismissed,  or  when  any  complication  arose,  significant  enough  to 
justify  the  hearing  and  advice  of  sister  churches,  they  answered 
each  other's  call,  and  gave  such  fraternal  expression  to  their  com- 
mon interest  and  life,  as  cemented  their  relations,  and  gave  them 
vitality  and  power  in  their  common  service  of  the  Master. 

when  the  population  increased,  the  means  of  communication 
multiplied,  and  neighbors  were  not  so  far  apart,  the  churches,  nat- 
urally, sought  other  and  ampler  forms  for  expressing  their  fellow- 
ship. Practically,  through  their  various  missionary  societies,  and 
more  formally  through  conferences  and  associations,  they  have 
organized  their  fellowship,  until  the  ecclesiastical  council,  instead 
of  being  its  chief  form  of  expression,  has  taken  comparatively  ^ 
secondary  place. 


ECCLESIASTICAL    COUNCILS  287 

But  these  later  organs  of  fellowship,  while  healthfully  supple- 
menting, cannot  supersede  the  ecclesiastical  council.  We  cannot 
transfer  the  functions  of  councils  to  associations  and  conferences 
without  setting  up  an  ecclesiastical  organism  which  would  imperil 
our  liberties.  Such  permanent  bodies,  if  entrusted  with  the  func- 
tions of  councils,  ordination  and  installation  of  ministers,  their  dis- 
mission, and  the  advising  of  the  churches  in  such  cases  of  difficulty 
as  are  always  sure  to  arise  while  men  and  women  remain  imper- 
fectly sanctified,  would  acquire  a  perilous  taste  of  power.  The 
appetite,  as  human  nature  is,  would  grow  with  what  it  fed  upon, 
and  we  should  soon  have  tribunals  setting  up  authority  and  issuing 
edicts  to  which  the  churches  would  be  expected  to  bow.  But  the 
council  is  a  safe  depository  of  these  functions.  When  its  result  is 
reached  and  its  advice  given  it  disappears.  There  is  no  standing 
moderator  or  committee  to  enforce  its  edicts  or  call  the  churches 
to  account  for  disregard  of  them.  Its  result  has  just  so  much  force 
as  lies  in  the  reason  of  it;  and  in  this,  its  appeal  to  reason  and 
sound  common  sense  is  one  of  the  chief  characteristics  and  bul- 
warks of  our  Congregationalism.  The  evanescence  of  the  council 
is  the  strength  of  the  conciliary  system.  The  council  comes,  does 
its  work,  and  disappears.  One  council  is  not  and  cannot  be  a  step- 
ping-stone to  another,  and  the  liberties  of  the  churches  are  just  as 
safe  after  its  adjournment  as  before  it  convened. 

First,  then,  I  affirm,  what  my  subject  implies,  a  future  for  our 
conciliary  system.  It  is  not  outworn  or  decadent.  Its  functions, 
in  safeguarding  the  character  and  standing  of  the  ministry,  and  the 
peace  of  the  churches,  are  likely  to  be  as  important  in  the  future 
as  in  the  past.  It  will  remain  the  most  feasible,  the  most  pliable, 
and  the  safest  agency  through  which  the  churches  can  secure  the 
important  results  for  which  they  have  looked  to  this  system.  Mod- 
ern methods  and  appliances  have  no  tendency  to  displace  it. — 
Henry  A.  Hasen,  in  National  Council  Minutes,  1898. 

How  May  the  Churches  Control  a  Council?  Strictl/ 
construed,  the  status  of  individual  members  of  a  council 
ought  to  be  that  of  honorary  members,  but  the  custom  of 
inviting  such  members  has  been  of  gradual  growth,  and 
it  has  seemed  invidious  to  rule  against  them,  or  to  make 
any  distinction  betw^een  them  and  those  members  who 
represent  the  churches.  An  instance  has  been  known  in  a 
time  of  theological  uncertainty  in  which  a  church,  desiring 
to  ordain  a  member  for  foreign  missionary  service,  called  a 
council  in  which  a  clear  majority  of  the  members  invited, 
and  a  majority  of  the  council  as  the  roll  was  made,  consisted 
of  individuals,  most  of  whom  were  either  missionaries  or  of- 
ficers of  the  missionary  society  under  which  the  member 
proposed  to  labor.  Such  a  council  may  be  called,  and  if  the 
churches  invited  accept  the  invitation,  its  finding  is  valid. 


288        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

But  if  a  clear  line  of  division  should  arise,  the  members  rep- 
resenting the  churches  on  the  one  side,  and  the  individual 
members  on  the  other,  the  former  have  one  remedy  against 
being  outvoted  by  the  individual  members  present.  That 
remedy  is  that  the  delegates  from  churches  may  leave  in  a 
body,  and  remain  absent  till  the  individuals  in  the  council 
come  to  terms.  Individual  members  do  not  count  in  the 
making  of  a  quorum.  The  members  who  represent  churches 
can  leave  such  a  council  without  a  quorum. 


XVII.     THE  DISTRICT  ASSOCIATION 

What  Is  an  Association?  An  association  is  a  body  com- 
posed of  the  Congregational  churches  and  ministers  of  a 
given  district  or  territory,  voluntarily  associated  for  Chris- 
tian fellowship  and  the  transaction  of  the  common  business 
of  the  churches  and  ministers  composing  it.  As  such  it  is 
authorized  to  represent  the  churches  in  the  ordination,  in- 
stallation, dismission,  discipline,  and  deposition  of  ministers. 
The  Association  is  the  depository  of  ministerial  standing  of 
all  pastors  of  churches  within  its  bounds,  and  of  ministers 
not  in  pastoral  service  who  are  members  of  said  churches. 
It  may  be  an  incorporated  body,  capable  of  holding  property 
for  the  general  interests  of  the  churches  composing  it.  It 
may  possess  also  the  powers  of  a  standing  council,  exercis- 
ing the  same  either  through  the  whole  body  of  its  member- 
ship or  through  an  advisory  committee  elected  by  and 
responsible  to  the  Association.  It  is  a  delegate  body,  com- 
posed ordinarily  of  one  pastor  and  one  or  more  delegates 
from  each  constituent  church,  and  having  in  addition  a 
ministerial  membership  composed  of  pastors  and  other  min- 
isters within  its  bounds. 

As  thus  constituted,  the  Association  has  many  of  the 
powers  belonging  to  the  Consociation  of  Connecticut,  and 
includes  the  functions  which  in  some  of  the  older  states 
were  divided  between  Associations  of  Pastors  and  Confer- 
ences of  Churches. 

It  will  be  interesting  and  profitable  to  compare  at  this 
point  the  exceedingly  brief  treatment  of  Associations  and 
Conferences  as  the  functions  of  these  were  interpreted  by 
Dr.  Dexter. 

Associations.  An  Association  is  a  meeting  of  pastors  in  the  aim 
to  help  each  other  in  their  common  work.  Such  meetings  have 
existed  in  New  England  since  a  very  early  date.  The  pastors  of 
ten,  twenty,  or  thirty  neighboring  churches — grouped,  and  limited, 
by  considerations  of  mutual  convenience — come  together  thus, 
twice,  thrice,  or  four  times  a  year,  and  spend  a  day,  or  more,  in 
exercises  for  intellectual,  spiritual,  and  professional  improvement. 


290        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

As  a  matter  of  convenience,  advantage  has  been  taken  of  these 
regular  assemblages  of  the  pastors,  by  candidates  for  the  pulpit, 
to  present  themselves,  after  thorough  training,  for  examination  for 
a  certificate  of  approval — in  common  parlance,  "for  licensure." 

In  some  of  the  states,  delegates  from  these  district  bodies  meet 
once  a  year  to  constitute  a  General  Association  of  the  state;  the 
printed  report  of  whose  annual  meeting  is  made  to  include  the 
statistics  of  the  Congregational  churches  in  that  commonwealth. 

While  these  Associations  are  very  helpful  to  pastors,  and 
through  them  to  their  flocks,  it  is  a  fundamental  principle,  usually, 
if  not  universally,  expressed  in  their  constitutions,  that  they  have 
no  direct  connection  with  the  churches,  and  no  claim  to  any 
shadow  of  authority  over  them. 

Conferences.  A  Conference  is  an  assemblage  of  pastors  and 
delegates  of  churches,  assembled,  not,  like  a  council,  on  the  special 
call  of  a  sister  church  for  some  isolated  service  toward  light  and 
peace,  but  in  virtue  of  a  constitution  providing  for  periodical  meet- 
ings, for  mutual  prayer,  communion,  advice,  and  helpfulness.  As 
in  the  case  of  Pastoral  Associations,  the  size,  boundaries,  etc.,  of 
these  Conferences,  are  dictated  by  convenience. 

As  with  Associations,  a  distinct  disavowal  of  all  ecclesiastical 
control  is  usually,  and  very  properly,  a  fundamental  article  of  their 
confederation. 

In  some  of  the  states,  delegations  from  these  local  conferences 
meet  annually  in  a  General  Conference  representing  all  the  Con- 
gregational churches  in  the  state;  and  their  minutes  carry  the  an- 
nual statistics. — Dexter:  Congregationalism,  pp.  226-227. 

The  foregoing  represents  what  passed  for  good  Congre- 
gationalism, but  ought  never  to  have  been  accounted  such 
in  its  own  day,  and  now  may  be  regarded  as  thoroughly 
obsolete.  An  Association  of  ministers  existing  as  a  volun- 
tary club  ought  never  to  have  exercised  the  function,  and 
never  properly  could  have  exercised  the  right,  of  licensing 
candidates  for  the  ministry.  No  body,  of  whatever  men 
composed,  should  be  entrusted  with  so  important  a  duty  if 
it  counts  it  "a.  fundamental  principle,  usually  if  not  univer- 
sally expressed  in  the  constitution,  that  they  have  no  direct 
connection  with  the  churches." 

In  certain  of  the  older  states  where  such  Associations 
existed  and  have  now  become  an  organic  part  of  the  Asso- 
ciations of  churches  covering  the  same  territory,  the  Asso- 
ciation of  churches  has  constituted  the  Association  of  min- 
isters its  committee  on  licensure.  This  is  an  orderly  pro- 
cedure, but  in  all  such  cases  the  authority  resides,  and 
should  reside,  with  the  churches. 


THE    DISTRICT    ASSOCIATION  291 

Nor  would  it  any  longer  be  regarded  as  orderly  for  a 
State  Conference  to  be  composed  of  delegates  from  local 
Conferences  or  District  Associations.  The  churches  have  a 
right  to  direct  representation  in  their  state,  as  truly  as  in 
their  district,  bodies. 

It  will  therefore  appear  on  careful  study  that  the  newer 
Congregationalism,  so  far  as  it  relates  to  Associations  of 
churches  and  ministers,  is  more  truly  Congregational  than 
that  of  Dexter's  day,  but  in  it  the  Association  of  churches 
has  risen  to  new  dignity  and  cannot  be  dismissed  in  a 
single  brief  paragraph  chiefly  concerned  with  setting  forth 
the  things  which  the  associated  churches  may  not  do. 

As  the  local  church  has  its  own  autonomy  and  all  rights 
belonging  to  it  as  a  local  body  are  jealously  to  be  guarded, 
so  the  churches  in  their  district  grouping  have  an  autonomy. 
There  are  certain  matters  wherein  the  autonomy  of  the 
group  is  quite  as  sacred  as  the  autonomy  of  the  local  con- 
gregation. There  are  cases  wherein  it  becomes  the  duty 
of  the  Association  by  virtue  of  its  own  autonomy  to  protect 
the  churches  at  large,  for  instance,  against  an  unworthy 
minister,  who  might  be  retained  through  the  wilfulness  of 
the  dominating  faction  in  a  single  local  church;  but  the 
Association  can  do  nothing  that  in  any  way  limits  the 
autonomy  of  the  local  church  acting  within  and  for  itself. 

A  local  church  may  elect  a  notoriously  unworthy  man 
to  be  its  pastor,  and  the  Association  cannot  displace  him 
from  that  position,  but  it  can  refuse  to  admit  him  to  its  own 
membership,  and  can  proceed  thus  in  the  exercise  of  its 
own  autonomy: 

(a)  The  Association  can  bracket  the  name  of  such  a 
minister  as  it  appears  in  the  pastor's  column  in  its  own 
statistics  and  in  the  Year  Book  opposite  the  name  of  said 
church. 

(b)  It  can  omit  his  name  altogether  if  it  has  deposed 
him  from  the  ministry. 

(c)  It  can  give  the  said  minister  only  the  standing  of  a 
layman  if  he  appears  as  a  representative  of  the  church  in 


292        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

any  meeting  of  the  Association ;  and  can  refuse  the  church 
other  lay  representation. 

(d)  It  can  withdraw  fellowship  from  said  church  alto- 
gether if  it  persist  in  a  course  which  brings  discredit  upon 
the  churches  as  a  whole. 

How  Did  Associations  Originate?  From  the  beginning 
of  Congregationalism  in  New  England  the  need  was  felt 
for  some  body  representative  of  the  churches  and  more  per- 
manent than  councils,  but  fear  was  felt  lest  such  bodies 
should  become  subversive  of  the  liberties  of  the  churches. 

Upham,  in  his  "Ratio  Disciplinse,"  traces  the  plans  for 
the  establishing  of  permanent  Associations  and  Conferences 
of  churches  back  to  the  Synod  of  1662,  and  even  to  John 
Cotton,  who,  near  the  time  of  his  death,  drew  up  a  plan 
for  such  conferences,  which  may  be  found  in  Increase 
Mather's  First  Principles  ("Ratio  Discip.,"  240-249).  In  yet 
another  place,  Increase  Mather  admitted  the  inadequacy  of 
councils  that  had  no  permanent  existence. 

That  there  should  be  such  a  consociation,  agreeing  among 
themselves  that  no  new  churches  shall  be  owned  by  them,  or 
pastor  ordained  or  deposed  without  them,  ...  is  not  only  lawful, 
but  absolutely  necessary  for  the  establishment  of  these  churches. — 
Disq.    Eccl.    Councils. 

This  necessity  which  was  felt  in  the  very  earliest  period 
of  New  England's  ecclesiastical  life,  grew  imperative  when 
Congregationalism  crossed  the  Hudson. 

Conferences  or  Synods.  Synods  orderly  assembled,  and  rightly 
proceeding  according  to  the  pattern.  Acts  15,  we  acknowledge  as 
the  ordinance  of  Christ:  and  though  not  absolutely  necessary  to 
the  being,  yet  many  times,  through  the  iniquity  of  men,  and 
perverseness  of  times,  necessary  to  the  well-being  of  churches,  for 
the  establishment  of  truth  and  peace  therein. — Cambridge  Plat- 
form, xvi,  1. 

The  Association.  The  association  of  churches  at  once  approved 
itself  and  spread  rapidly.  It  now  covers  all  our  churches.  And  so 
true  is  it  to  Congregationalism,  that  its  function  has  been  steadily 
enlarged,  till  it  has  come  to  be  our  pivotal  fellowship  body. — Nash: 
Cong.  Administration,  p.  85. 

The  central  wheel  of  our  system,  as  it  is  today,  is  undoubtedly 
the  District  Association.  It  is  a  combination  of  the  churches 
within  a  reasonable  area,  for  the  purpose  of  stimulating  fellowship 
and  united  action.    Already  we  have  made  it  the  only  ecclesiastical 


THE    DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION  293 

body  in  our  system  by  vesting  in  it  the  responsibility  for  ministe- 
rial standing. — De  Forest:  Congregational  Fellowship  and  Over- 
sight, p.  33. 

Congregational  churches  are  grouped  into  local  or 
District  Associations,  bodies  w^hich  formerly  existed  solely 
for  fellowship.  Originally  they  were  purely  voluntary,  but 
it  is  no  longer  accurate  to  describe  them  by  this  term.  A 
Congregational  church  has  full  liberty  to  withhold  itself 
from  fellowship  in  an  Association  and  to  withdraw  from  the 
Association  at  its  pleasure,  but  a  church  so  outstanding  or 
withdrawn,  while  Congregational  in  government,  is  not  re- 
ported in  the  records  of  the  denomination  as  a  Congrega- 
tional church.  It  therefore  is  no  longer  strictly  accurate  to 
speak  of  the  Association  as  a  voluntary  body. 

Less  Usurpation  Now  than  in  Early  Days.  There  is  no  danger 
to  liberty  in  escaping  from  the  perils  of  consociationism.  In  1708 
twelve  ministers  and  four  laymen  met  by  order  of  the  Assembly 
or  Legislature  of  Connecticut  at  Saybrook,  to  devise  a  remedy  for 
the  evils  of  lax  discipline  consequent  upon  the  growing  separation 
of  Church  and  State.  They  framed  and  issued  the  Saybrook  Plat- 
form, which  the  said  legislature,  without  any  further  approval  of 
the  churches,  made  the  established  ecclesiastical  order  of  Con- 
necticut (Bacon's  Hist.  Address,  in  Contrib.  to  Eccl.  Hist.  Ct.  38, 
39).  This  Platform  consociated  the  churches  of  a  county,  or  of 
a  definite  part  of  a  county,  into  an  ecclesiastical  body  called  a 
consociation.  Cases  of  discipline  could  be  carried  to  a  council 
composed  of  the  churches  consociated  together,  which  should  give 
"a  final  issue,  and  all  parties  therein  concerned  shall  sit  down  and 
be  determined  thereby";  or,  if  the  case  were  too  large  or  difficult 
for  one  consociation  to  handle,  another  might  join  with  it  in  deter- 
mining the  final  issue  (Saybrook  Plat.,  Art.  V,  7).  This  Platform 
has  had  a  double  interpretation,  one  of  which  regards  it  as  purely 
Congregational  in  principle  and  results;  but  the  other  regards  it 
as  subversive  of  the  independence  of  the  local  churches  and  as 
introducing  into  consociations  the  fundamental  principle  of  Pres- 
byterianism  (Contrib.  Eccl.  Hist.,  40  et  seq.).  The  latter  was  the 
view  of  the  Hartford  North  Association  of  Ministers  (Gillett's  Hist. 
Presby._  Ch.,  i,  438,  439,  note).  This  Platform,  by  going  too  far  in 
remedying  "the  defects  of  discipline  in  the  churches"  occasioned 
by  the  partial  but  growing  separation  of  Church  and  State,  hin- 
dered the  introduction  of  a  better  method,  until  the  system  of  con- 
sociated churches  had  been  largely  neglected  in  Connecticut,  and 
prevented  its  spread  into  other  colonies  and  states.  Yet  the  Say- 
brook Platform  saved  every  church  in  Connecticut  from  the  Uni- 
tarian apostasy,  which  carried  over  so  many  of  the  unassociated 
churches  of  Massachusetts.  This  plan  of  consociation  now  em- 
braces only  four  bodies,  and  these  are  in  Connecticut. — Ross: 
Church-Kingdom,  pp.  366-367. 


294        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Organization  from  Below.  Our  organific  direction  is  from  be- 
low upward.  We  do  not  begin  with  overlords,  whether  called 
bishops  or  superintendents  or  ministers.  We  begin  with  common 
men,  free  individuals,  uncoerced,  associating  themselves  in  volun- 
tary local  churches,  each  church  as  free  in  its  own  domain  as  the 
souls  that  compose  it. — Nash:  Congregational  Administration,  p.  15. 

Local  Autonomy  Not  Endangered.  If  it  be  recognized  that  the 
government  of  each  particular  church  is  in  its  membership,  we 
may  adopt  diocesan  and  connexional  methods  of  administration, 
not  only  without  mischief,  but  even  with  the  best  results. — Macken- 
nal:  Address  to  Congregational  Union  of  England  and  Wales. 

Have  We  District  Associations  or  Local  Associations? 

The  term,  District  Association,  has  not  been  in  common  use 
among  us.  In  our  confusion  of  terminology,  we  were  ac- 
customed to  speak  of  the  local  Association  in  contradistinc- 
tion from  the  state  Association.  But  having  now  State 
Conferences  we  do  not  need  the  word  local  to  distinguish 
between  the  two.  Moreover,  the  word  local  is  inaccurate, 
and  is  applied  to  the  individual  church.  In  the  present 
work  the  term  local  is  restricted ;  and  reference  is  made  to 
the  local  church ;  the  District  Association ;  and  the  State 
Conference, 

Is  the  Association  a  Menace  to  Local  Autonomy?  Con- 
gregational churches,  while  self-governing  and  subject  to 
no  ecclesiastical  authority  in  their  local  affairs,  are  more 
than  independent  units.  They  meet  unitedly  in  district, 
state  and  national  bodies.  The  development  of  these  bodies, 
their  approach  to  uniformity  of  organization,  and  the  in- 
crease in  the  measure  of  responsibility  delegated  to  them 
by  the  churches,  constitute  one  of  the  most  significant  facts 
in  recent  Congregational  history. 

Is  the  Association  a  Voluntary  Body?  In  the  beginning 
an  Association  was  a  purely  voluntary  body,  but  at  the 
present  this  cannot  be  affirmed  of  it.  The  Association  has 
an  organic  relation  to  our  denominational  life. 

What  Is  a  Ministerial  Association?  In  certain  of  the 
New  England  states  ministerial  Associations  existed  sep- 
arate from  those  related  to  the  Association  of  the  churches. 
Inevitable  confusion  in  the  use  of  the  terms  has  arisen  from 
this  fact.    Much  of  the  older  Congregational  literature  deny- 


THE   DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION  295 


ing  the  power  of  Associations  grew  out  of  the  definitions 
of  Associations  which  limited  them  to  voluntary  ministerial 
bodies.  Dr.  Dexter  and  other  Congregational  authorities  of 
his  day  were  emphatic  in  their  declarations  that  Associa- 
tions were  purely  voluntary  and  had  no  authority  whatever. 
This  was  true  and  is  true  of  the  Association  as  these  author- 
ities conceived  it,  which  was  that  of  a  mere  voluntary  min- 
isterial club. 

But  in  Congregational  practice  even  these  ministerial 
Associations  were  something  more  and  other  than  volun- 
tary clubs.  They  covered  more  or  less  exactly  the  territory 
of  corresponding  groups  of  churches,  and  the  pastors  of 
those  churches  and  the  ministers  without  churches  residing 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Association  were  expected  to 
belong  to  these  ministerial  bodies.  Their  certificates  passed 
for  credentials  of  good  standing.  Commonly  they  assumed 
the  right  to  issue  licenses  to  preach  the  gospel.  The  older 
theory  covering  these  ministerial  Associations  as  mere 
voluntary  and  unrelated  organizations  never  was  consistent. 
They  never  had  a  logical  place  in  the  Congregational  sys- 
tem as  such  unrelated  bodies. 

Where  Associations  of  ministers  existed  and  the  Associa- 
tions of  churches  have  reorganized  in  recent  years,  some 
interesting  problems  have  arisen  as  to  the  relations  of  the 
two  bodies.  It  is  not  necessary  that  the  Association  of 
ministers  disband.  It  can  so  modify  its  own  by-laws  as  to 
become  an  integral  part  of  the  Association  of  churches  and 
ministers,  and  it  can  hold  its  separate  meetings  for  fellow- 
ship. The  Association  of  churches  can  make  the  Associa- 
tion of  ministers  its  committee  on  licensure  and  on  minis- 
terial standing,  but  this  committee  should  report  to  the 
Association  of  churches  and  ministers.  Cummings  gives 
the  following  account  of  the  use  of  ministerial  Associa- 


tions : 


After  the  year  1675,  and  perhaps  earlier  (Pres.  Stiles  says  about 
1670)  after  great  desolations  by  the  Indian  wars,  the  neighbor- 
ing ministers  in  several  counties  in  New  England  met  together  to 
pray  and  subsequently  they  began  to  discuss  subjects  of  common 


296         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

interest  at  their  meetings.  At  length,  some  "presbyterially  in- 
clined" ministers  began  to  dignify  their  meetings  with  the  name 
of  "Classes."  Thus  matters  progressed  until,  in  1705,  an  effort 
was  made  by  one  of  these  Associations  to  combine  all  the  min- 
isters in  the  country  into  similar  bodies,  for  the  purpose  of  estab- 
lishing a  Consociation  with  powers  similar  to  those  afterwards 
claimed  by  the  Consociations  of  Connecticut.  They  issued  their 
proposals,  bearing  date  November  5,  1705.  These  proposals  were 
successfully  resisted  by  "divers  godly  ministers"  at  the  time, 
though  they  afterwards  prevailed,  by  the  interference  of  state  au- 
thority, in  Connecticut.  In  Massachusetts,  however.  Associations 
from  this  time  became  general,  but  have  neither  held  nor  claimed 
any  ecclesiastical  authority,  such  as  was  designed  in  the  "Pro- 
posals," with  the  single  exception  of  examining  and  licensing 
candidates.  Two  attempts  have  since  been  made  to  give  ecclesias- 
tical authority  to  ministerial  associations;  but  they  have  been  signal 
failures. — Cong.  Diet.,  Associations. 

Are  Ministerial  Associations  Desirable?  It  is  desirable 
that  ministers  form  organizations  of  their  own  for  fellow- 
ship and  conference;  but  it  would  tend  to  prevent  confusion 
if  these  voluntary  bodies  would  avoid  the  name  of  Associa- 
tion. 

Should  Ministerial  Standing  Repose  in  Associations  of 
Ministers?  In  some  of  the  older  states  ministerial  standing 
lies  in  Associations  of  ministers  apart  from  Associations  of 
churches.  This,  however,  cannot  be  called  good  Congre- 
gationalism. Where  it  obtains  the  Association  of  ministers 
should  become  an  organic  part  of  the  Association  of 
churches  and  may  then  receive  or  administer  such  authority 
as  churches  delegate  to  it  in  the  matter  of  ministerial  stand- 
ing. 

What  Is  a  Consociation?  The  term  consociation,  for- 
merly used  to  describe  an  ecclesiastical  body  which  was 
practically  a  standing  council,  has  disappeared  from  our 
denominational  nomenclature  except  in  Connecticut,  whose 
Consociations  differ  little  from  Associations. 

The  Boston  Synod  of  1662  declared  that  every  church 
has  "full  power  and  authority  ecclesiastical  within  itself, 
regularly  to  administer  all  the  ordinances  of  Christ,  and  is 
not  under  any  other  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  whatever: 
.  .  .  hence  it  follows,  that  Consociations  are  not  to  hinder 
the  exercise  of  this  power,  but  by  counsel  from  the  word  of 


THE   DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION  297 


God  to  direct  and  strengthen  the  same  upon  all  just  occa- 
sions." They  go  on  to  define  the  objects  of  Consociations, 
and  to  recommend  them  to  the  churches.  Samuel  Mather 
shows  that  a  Consociation  of  churches  was  acknowledged 
by  the  early  New  England  Congregationalists,  in  the  sense 
of  asking  light,  but  without  authority  to  govern. 

Consociations.  Trumbull  informs  us,  that  in  1659  the  General 
Court  of  Connecticut  ordered  a  council,  the  decision  whereof  should 
be  final.  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  endeavored  to  es- 
tablish the  same  thing,  and  so  called  the  synod  of  1662.  these 
synods  embraced  not  only  all  the  ministers  of  the  colony  whose 
legislature  called  them,  but  also  certain  specified  individuals  of  the 
other  colonies,  to  ensure  majorities.  But  they  failed  of  such  a 
majority  in  Connecticut,  through  this  over-management.  ihe 
Boston  Synod  was  more  successful,  and  recommended  a  consocia- 
tion, having  first,  however,  premised  that  it  should  be  shorn  ot  its 
locks,  by  being  stripped  of  judicial  power. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  Cotton  Mather 
having  converted  his  father  in  his  dotage,  led  in  a  strenuous  effort 
to  establish  a  virtual  consociation.  Proposals  were  introduced  into 
the  Boston  Association,  and  through  them  to  the  Massachusetts 
Convention;  but  they  were  successfully  opposed  by  John  Wise  ot 
Ipswich  and  others.  The  proposals,  which  may  be  seen  in  Wise  s 
"Quarrel  of  the  Churches  Espoused,"  were  rejected  in  Massa- 
chusetts, but  were  soon  received  in  Connecticut,  and  from  that 
time  have  formed  the  basis  of  their  Consociations.— Cwwrnrng.?; 
Cong.  Diet.,  Consociations;  Trumbull. -Hist.  Conn.,  ch.  xiu. 

Have  Associations  Definite  Territorial  Boundaries?  It 
is  desirable  in  general  that  an  Association  should  embrace 
a  compact  body  or  territory  and  include  all  the  churches 
within  that  territory  and  none  beyond.  It  is  not  generally 
advisable  that  a  church  should  separate  itself  from  its  own 
group  of  churches  and  go  past  other  churches  of  the  vicin- 
age for  fellowship  with  an  association  more  remote.  Yet 
no  hard  and  fast  rule  can  be  laid  down  governing  territorial 
limits.  The  English-speaking  churches  of  a  given  state 
may  constitute  the  membership  of  five  or  ten  or  any  other 
number  of  Associations,  and  divide  the  territory  by 
counties,  or  according  to  railroad  systems  or  other  means 
of  transportation,  as  is  found  convenient.  There  may  also 
exist  an  Association  of  the  German  or  Scandinavian 
churches  of  the  whole  state,  or  of  a  part  of  the  state,  terri- 
torially overlapping  all  or  part  of  the  other  Associations. 


298        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

A  problem  of  peculiar  difficulty  sometimes  presents  itself 
in  those  states  where  there  is  a  considerable  number  of  col- 
ored churches  and  in  which  there  are  two  organizations, 
one  of  the  white  and  the  other  of  the  colored  churches.  A 
double  organization  of  this  character  may  not  be  ideal,  and 
yet  because  of  the  practical  difficulties  involved  in  a  single 
organization  it  may  be  not  only  permissible  but  advisable. 
At  any  rate,  there  is  no  superior  ecclesiastical  authority 
that  can  compel  two  groups  of  churches  to  unite  in  one 
Association.  An  unhappy  condition  of  affairs  prevailed  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  city  of  New  York  in  the  years  following 
the  Beecher  trial,  in  which  the  churches  in  a  given  territory 
were  divided  into  two  overlapping  Associations.  This  was 
unfortunate,  but  in  time  it  adjusted  itself,  as  such  difficulties 
are  fairly  certain  to  do  without  outside  pressure. 

The  rule,  therefore,  is  that  while  it  is  generally  desirable 
that  a  Congregational  Association  include  all  the  churches 
in  a  given  district,  and  only  the  churches  within  that  district, 
conditions  may  arise  and  have  arisen  that  have  caused  terri- 
torial overlapping,  and  an  Association  otherwise  regular 
cannot  be  deemed  irregular  for  this  reason  alone. 

But  this  principle  must  not  be  interpreted  in  such  man- 
ner as  to  permit  discourtesy  on  the  part  of  one  Association 
to  another.  If  an  Association  of  churches  in  Iowa  were  to 
withdraw  fellowship  from  a  church  situated  within  that 
state,  it  would  not  be  permissible  for  the  Association  of 
Rhode  Island  to  admit  the  excluded  Iowa  church  to  its 
membership.  If  the  Association  of  Rhode  Island  believed 
that  the  Association  of  Iowa  had  done  wrong  it  could  pre- 
sent its  reasons  for  so  believing  to  the  offending  Associa- 
tion, or  ask  for  a  mutual  council,  but  it  would  not  be  justi- 
fied in  the  attempt  to  correct  a  wrong  by  an  arbitrary  gerry- 
mander. 

Association  Not  for  State  and  National  Work.  As  concerns 
service  in  the  Kingdom  of  God,  the  Association's  field  remains 
small;  our  extensive  ministries  must  go  through  state  and  national 
organizations.     But  as  concerns  orderly  and  responsible  organiza- 


THE    DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION 299 

tion,  the  Association  is  the  most  important  of  our  fellowship 
bodies. — Nash:    Cong.  Administration,  p.  85. 

How  May   a   Church  Unite  with  an   Association?    A 

church  organized  within  the  bounds  of  an  Association  may 
acquire  membership  in  said  Association: 

(i)  By  voting  at  a  regular  meeting  of  the  church,  called 
in  accordance  with  the  provision  of  its  own  constitution,  to 
apply  for  membership  in  said  Association,  and  electing  del- 
egates, including  its  pastor,  to  attend  its  forthcoming  meet- 
ing. 

(2)  By  submitting  its  constitution,  covenant,  and  rec- 
ords for  the  examination  of  said  Association,  either  directly 
or  through  its  advisory  committee. 

(3)  By  vote  of  the  Association  receiving  it  into  fellow- 
ship. 

(4)  By  thereafter  continuing  its  relations  with  the  Asso- 
ciation in  the  payment  of  its  dues  and  by  representation  in 
its  gatherings. 

Local  Church  the  Unit.  The  local  church,  thus  principled,  be- 
comes the  vital  unit  for  all  the  larger  forms  in  the  polity.  Out  of 
it,  not  from  individual  Christians,  arise  those  larger  forms. — Nash: 
Cong.  Administration,  p.   17. 

How  May  a  Church  Withdraw  from  an  Association? 

Membership  in  a  Congregational  Association  being  volun- 
tary, yet  according  to  the  rules  laid  down  in  its  constitu- 
tion, a  church  may  withdraw  from  the  fellowship  of  one 
Association  and  unite  with  another : 

(a)  By  formal  vote  of  the  church  at  a  properly  called 
meeting. 

(b)  By  formal  request  in  writing,  asking  the  Associa- 
tion to  dismiss  the  church  that  makes  the  request. 

(c)  By  vote  of  the  Association  dismissing  the  church. 

How  May  a  Church  Be  Received  from  Another  Ecclesi- 
astical Body?  A  church  dismissed  by  one  Association  or 
by  a  similar  body  of  another  denomination,  or  an  inde- 
pendent church  belonging  to  no  Association,  may  be  re- 
ceived into  a  Congregational  Association  on  its  own  appli- 


300        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

cation  by  vote  of  the  church,  the  election  of  delegates,  and 
the  approval  of  its  constitution,  covenant,  and  rules. 

How  May  a  Church  Withdraw  from  the  Congregational 
Denomination?  A  Congregational  church  desiring  to  be- 
come independent  or  to  unite  with  another  denomination 
may  do  so : 

(a)  By  its  own  vote  at  a  regularly  called  meeting.  Such 
a  vote,  however,  being  in  effect  an  amendment  of  the  con- 
stitution, must  be  carried  by  at  least  two-thirds  of  the  mem- 
bership of  the  church  or  by  such  larger  vote  as  the  consti- 
tution requires. 

(b)  By  application  for  dismission  from  the  Congrega- 
tional Association  of  which  it  is  a  member. 

(c)  By  favorable  action  upon  said  dismission. 

A  church  withdrawing  from  the  Congregational  denom- 
ination may  not  properly  unite  with  another  ecclesiastical 
body  until  it  is  regularly  dismissed ;  nor  should  any  church 
be  received  into  the  Congregational  fellowship  until  it  has 
fully  severed  all  relations  with  other  ecclesiastical  bodies. 

May  a  Church  Be  a  Member  of  Two  Associations?  It  is 
ecclesiastically  impossible  for  a  church  to  be  a  member  of 
two  Associations  at  one  and  the  same  time.  If  a  church 
applies  for  admission  to  an  Association  while  still  being  a 
member  of  another  ecclesiastical  body  and  is  accepted 
under  the  impression  that  its  previous  membership  had  been 
terminated,  its  membership  in  the  second  body  should  be 
held  to  be  incomplete  until  it  has  adjusted  its  former 
ecclesiastical  relations.  In  case  of  a  church  coming  from 
another  denomination  which  refuses  to  dismiss  it  for  the 
purpose  of  joining  a  Congregational  Association,  the  ques- 
tion must  be  decided  according  to  the  polity  of  the  former 
organization.  In  any  disputed  case  the  Congregational 
membership  must  be  regarded  as  complete  only  upon  the 
orderly  termination  of  the  previous  membership. 

Has  an  Association  a  Right  to  Demand  Creed  Tests  of 
Its  Members?  When  an  Association  was  regarded  as  a 
voluntary  club,  it  could  claim  the  right  of  setting  up  any 


THE   DISTRICT    ASSOCIATION 301 

conditions  which  it  chose  for  membership  in  its  body.  The 
situation  has  been  materially  altered  in  the  present  inter- 
pretation of  the  office  of  an  Association.  It  has  an  un- 
doubted right  to  assure  itself  of  the  doctrinal  soundness  of 
its  members,  but  it  cannot  exercise  this  right  in  an  arbitrary 
spirit  or  in  mere  caprice.  Membership  in  an  Association 
has  now  become  an  absolute  essential  in  ministerial  stand- 
ing. It  is  no  longer  a  voluntary  matter.  In  the  strict  sense, 
therefore,  an  Association  should  have  no  creed  tests  of  its 
own,  but  only  such  doctrinal  requirements  as  assure  it  of 
the  essential  soundness  of  its  members. 

An  Association,  therefore,  should  be  both  more  and  less 
rigid  than  formerly  in  this  particular.  It  should  be  less 
rigid  because  it  has  no  right  to  submit  any  arbitrary  tests 
of  its  own.  It  is  under  obligation  to  provide  ministerial 
standing  for  every  accredited  Congregational  minister  called 
to  labor  within  its  bounds.  It  cannot  refuse  to  do  this 
arbitrarily  or  vindictively  without  danger  of  very  grave 
injustice.  On  the  other  hand,  as  representing  the  churches, 
it  should  guard  with  exceeding  great  care  the  purity  of 
those  churches  and  of  their  ministry.  Its  right  and  duty 
arc  commensurate  with  its  responsibility  as  the  repository 
of  ministerial  standing. 

No  Creed  Tests,  They  may  have  a  platform  by  way  of  pro- 
fession of  their  faith,  but  not  a  binding  rule  of  faith  and  practice. 
.  .  .  If  so,  then  they  ensnare  men  attending  more  to  the  form 
of  doctrine  delivered  from  the  authority  of  the  church  .  .  . 
than  to  the  examining  thereof  according  to  the  Scriptures. — 
Richard  Mather:  Ch.  Govt.,  p.  64. 

It  is  the  greatest  possible  tyranny  over  men's  souls  to  make 
other  men's  judgments  the  rule  of  my  conscience. — Burton:  Re- 
joinder to  Prynne,  p.  19. 

It  is  the  design  of  these  churches  to  make  the  terms  of  com- 
munion run  parallel  as  may  be  with  the  terms  of  salvation.  A 
charitable  consideration  of  nothing  but  true  piety,  in  admitting  to 
evangelical  privileges,  is  a  glory  which  the  churches  of  New  Eng- 
land would  lay  claim  to. — Cotton  Mather:     Ratio  Disciplinae,  p.  90. 

May  an  Association  Withdraw  Fellowship  from  a 
Church?  An  Association,  for  good  cause  shown,  may  with- 
draw fellowship  from  a  church  within  its  bounds.     This 


302         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

should  be  done,  however,  only  in  the  case  of  some  scan- 
dalous refusal  on  the  part  of  the  church  to  right  some 
wrong  affecting  the  welfare  of  the  churches  as  a  whole. 
An  Association  has  no  authority  to  withdraw  fellowship 
from  a  church  by  reason  of  some  matter  of  its  own  internal 
management,  but  if  a  church  were  making  itself  responsible 
for  some  grave  doctrinal  error  or  were  bringing  reproach 
upon  all  the  churches  by  reason  of  its  responsibility  for 
serious  moral  scandal,  the  Association,  after  faithfully  labor- 
ing with  it,  might  properly  after  due  warning  withdraw 
fellowship  from  the  church. 

The  early  churches  exercised  this  function  in  the  famous 
"third  way  of  communion." 

The  "Third  Way."  A  third  way  then  of  communion  of  churches, 
is  by  way  of  admonition;  to  wit,  in  case  any  public  offense  be 
found  in  a  church,  which  they  either  discern  not,  or  are  slow  in 
proceeding  to  use  the  means  for  the  removing  and  healing  of. 
Paul  had  no  authority  over  Peter,  yet  when  he  saw  Peter  not 
walking  with  a  right  foot,  he  publicly  rebuked  him  before  the 
church.  Though  churches  have  no  more  authority  one  over  an- 
other, than  one  apostle  had  over  another,  yet  as  one  apostle  might 
admonish  another,  so  may  one  church  admonish  another,  and  yet 
without  usurpation.  In  which  case,  if  the  church  that  lieth  under 
offense,  do  not  hearken  to  the  church  that  doth  admonish  her,  the 
church  is  to  acquaint  other  neighbor  churches  with  that  offense 
which  the  offending  church  still  lieth  under,  together  with  their 
neglect  of  their  brotherly  admonition  given  unto  them;  whereupon 
those  other  churches  are  to  join  in  seconding  the  admonition 
formerly  given;  and  if  still  the  offending  church  continue  in  ob- 
stinacy and  impenitency,  they  may  forbear  communion  with  them, 
and  are  to  proceed  to  make  use  of  the  help  of  a  synod,  or 
council  of  neighbor  churches  walking  orderly  (if  a  greater  cannot 
conveniently  be  had)  for  their  conviction.  If  they  hear  not  the 
synod,  the  synod  having  declared  them  to  be  obstinate,  particu- 
lar churches  approving  and  accepting  the  judgment  of  the  synod, 
are  to  declare  the  sentence  of  non-communion  respectively  con- 
cerning them;  and  thereupon,  out  of  religious  care  to  keep  their 
own  communion  pure,  they  may  justly  withdraw  themselves  from 
participation  with  them  at  the  Lord's  table,  and  from  such  other 
acts  of  holy  communion,  as  the  communion  of  churches  doth  other- 
wise allow  and  require.  Nevertheless,  if  any  member  of  such  a 
church  as  liveth  under  pubHc  offense,  do  not  consent  to  the  offense 
of  the  church,  but  do  in  due  sort  bear  witness  against  it,  they  are 
still  to  be  received  to  wonted  communion;  for  it  is  not  equal  that 
the  innocent  should  suffer  with  the  offensive.  Yea,  furthermore, 
if  such  innocent  members,  after  due  waiting  in  the  use  of  all  good 
means  for  the  healing  of  the  offense  of  their  church,  shall  at  last, 
with  the  allowance  of  the  council  of  neighbor  churches,  withdraw 


THE   DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION 303 

from  the  fellowship  of  their  own  church,  and  offer  themselves  to 
the  fellowship  of  another,  we  judge  it  lawful  for  the  other  church 
to  receive  them  (being  otherwise  fit)  as  if  they  had  been  orderly 
dismissed  to  them  from  their  own  church. — Cambridge  Platform, 
XV,  3. 

In  general  it  is  better  that  so  solemn  an  act  as  the  with- 
drawal of  fellowship  from  a  church  should  be  exercised  by 
no  single  church  but  by  the  churches  acting  through  a 
council,  or  preferably  through  the  Association  of  which  the 
erring  church  is  a  member.  "The  third  way"  may  be  re- 
garded as  obsolete. 

What  Is  the  Status  of  a  Church  from  Which  the  Fellow- 
ship of  an  Association  Has  Been  Withdrawn?  A  church 
from  which  fellowship  has  been  withdrawn  in  an  orderly 
manner  by  the  Congregational  Association,  or  by  a  mutual 
council  representing  such  Association  and  the  church,  has 
the  standing  of  an  independent  Congregational  church.  It 
may  unite  with  another  ecclesiastical  body,  or  may  by  vote 
be  restored  to  membership  in  the  Association  and  thus  in 
the  Congregational  body.  Its  standing  as  a  Congregational 
church  is  impaired,  but  not  destroyed  by  such  withdrawal. 
It  is  an  independent  church,  Congregational  in  government, 
but  outside  the  Congregational  fellowship. 

What  Is  the  Standing  of  Ministers  in  the  Association? 
Every  Congregational  minister  in  good  standing  must  be 
a  member  of  some  District  Association,  which  should  ordi- 
narily be  the  Association  in  which  he  resides;  or  if  he  is  a 
pastor,  in  an  Association  within  whose  bounds  his  church 
is  located.  A  church  and  its  minister  should  have  member- 
ship in  the  same  Association. 

Ministers  not  pastors  are  members  of  District  Associa- 
tions and  commonly  have  all  the  privileges  belonging  to 
pastors  in  the  Association.  An  Association  has  the  right, 
however,  to  limit  the  privilege  of  voting  to  pastors  and 
accredited  delegates  from  the  churches.  This  measure  has 
frequently  been  proposed  in  Associations  having  a  consider- 
able number  of  retired  ministers.  In  general,  however, 
these  members  have  conducted  themselves  with  such  pro- 


304        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

priety,  and  being  men  of  experience,  have  brought  to  the 
body  such  wisdom,  that  their  counsel  has  been  gladly 
sought  and  their  right  to  vote  unchallenged.  Inasmuch, 
however,  as  Associations  are  primarily  Associations  of  the 
churches,  it  has  sometimes  been  held  that  even  a  pastor, 
while  entitled  to  the  floor,  might  not  be  permitted  to  vote 
unless  specifically  authorized  by  his  church.  The  right  of 
an  Association  cannot  be  questioned  to  provide  some  re- 
strictions of  ballot,  particularly  for  those  members  who 
have  permanently  retired  from  the  pastorate  and  have 
entered  into  business  relations.  When  men  once  active  in 
the  ministry  have  entered  into  any  secular  calling,  who 
desire  for  any  good  reason  to  retain  their  ministerial  stand- 
ing, the  churches  may  very  properly  restrict  their  member- 
ship so  that  it  shall  not  include  the  right  to  vote  on  matters 
strictly  relating  to  the  conduct  of  the  churches.  The  wis- 
dom of  this  arrangement  is  likely  to  be  felt  more  as  the 
advice  of  the  Associations  to  the  churches  comes  to  be  more 
nearly  authoritative.  The  churches  will  insist  that  any 
word  from  the  Association  which  they  are  expected  to  heed 
be  uttered  by  their  own  pastors  and  lay  delegates. 

Shall  the  Minister  Vote?  The  question  often  is  asked. 
Shall  the  single  vote  of  the  pastor  in  the  Association  bal- 
ance the  vote  of  the  church  through  its  lay  delegate?  And, 
what  is  more  important,  shall  the  vote  of  the  minister  who 
is  without  a  church  be  equal  to  that  of  the  pastor  of  the 
church,  and  equally  binding  upon  the  church? 

This  is  a  serious  question,  and  one  which  Associations 
have  been  called  upon  to  consider,  particularly  in  cities 
where  a  large  number  of  ministers  without  charge,  secre- 
taries, professors,  editors  and  superannuated  ministers,  are 
gathered  in  considerable  number.  It  has  seriously  been 
proposed  to  make  these  men  honorary  and  not  voting  mem- 
bers of  their  Associations ;  and  there  is  something  to  be  said 
in  defense  of  this  proposition,  especially  in  matters  relating 
to  the  government  of  the  churches,  as  for  instance  the  ap- 


THE    DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION  305 

portionment     of     denominational     expenses     among     the 
churches. 

The  Vote  of  the  Minister  in  Associations.  Three  practices  now 
in  vogue  among  us  may  be  stated  as  follows:  (a)  In  some  As- 
sociations all  ministers  hold  personal  voting  membership;  (b)  in 
other  Associations  there  is  no  ministerial  membership,  but  pastors 
are  ex-officio  delegates  and  voting  members  of  the  meetings;  other 
ministers  have  no  place  in  any  meeting  save  as  duly  elected  dele- 
gates of  churches;  (c)  in  still  other  Associations  even  pastors  hold 
an  ex-officio  place  in  the  meetings,  but  must  be  elected  as  dele- 
gates. 

It  is  easy  to  object  to  any  one  of  these  arrangements,  but  the 
most  just  and  consistent  solution  does  not  instantly  appear.  Min- 
isterial membership,  giving  each  minister,  whether  pastor  or  not, 
voting  rights  in  every  meeting,  puts  a  minister  on  a  par  with  a 
church,  gives  him  undue  prominence  in  the  meetings  and  the 
organization  generally,  and  introduces  a  double  and  disparate  mem- 
bership. On  the  other  hand,  to  refuse  ministerial  membership  is 
liable  to  injustice.  For  the  minister,  not  the  pastor  only,  is  held 
under  responsibilities  peculiar  to  him,  not  shared  by  any  layman, 
shared  only  by  a  church.  We  Congregationalists — and  freemen 
generally — have  a  very  vital  rubric  entitled  "no  taxation  without 
representation."  We  feel  like  insisting  in  simple  justice  that  one 
who  is  held  to  unique  accountability  must  be  given  unique  rights 
in  the  organization  which  holds  him. 

There  are  times  when  ordinary  injustice  at  this  point  would  be 
magnified  into  grievous  wrong.  The  discipline  of  a  minister  as 
church  member  belongs  in  the  church  which  holds  his  member- 
ship. But  his  discipline  as  minister  belongs  in  the  Association 
which  holds  his  standing.  It  is  a  grave  question  whether  he 
ought  to  be  held  amenable  to  disciplinary  action  by  a  body  in 
which  voting  membership  is  denied  him.  and  in  which  his  fellow 
ministers,  likewise  excluded  from  membership,  have  no  right  to 
give  judgment  in  his  trial. — Nash:  Cong.  Administration,  pp.  105- 
106. 

What  Is  the  Place  in  an  Association  of  the  Minister 
Who  Is  Not  a  Pastor?  In  the  old  Congregationalism  of 
New  England  a  minister  was  a  layman  outside  of  his  own 
parish,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  dismissed  from  it  his  ordina- 
tion terminated.  Installation  was  another  ordination  and 
was  performed  with  the  laying  on  of  hands.  John  Cotton 
did  not  baptize  his  son  "Seaborn"  on  the  voyage  to  America 
because  he  held  that  "a  minister  hath  no  power  to  give  the 
seals  but  in  his  own  congregation." 

Ministerial  Authority  Ceases  When  Pastoral  Relation  Ter- 
minates. Church  officers  are  officers  to  one  church,  even  that  par- 
ticular church  over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  them  over- 


306         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

seers.  Insomuch  as  elders  are  commanded  to  feed,  not  all  flocks, 
but  that  flock  which  is  committed  to  their  faith  and  trust,  and  de- 
pendeth  upon  them.  .  .  .  He  that  is  clearly  loosed  from  his 
office  relation  unto  that  church  whereof  he  was  minister,  can- 
not be  looked  at  as  an  officer,  nor  perform  any  act  of  office  in  any 
other  church,  unless  he  be  again  orderly  called  unto  office;  which, 
when  it  shall  be,  we  know  nothing  to  hinder,  but  imposition  of 
hands  also  in  his  ordination  ought  to  be  used  towards  him  again. 
For  so  Paul  the  Apostle  received  imposition  of  hands  twice,  at 
least,  from  Ananias. — Cambridge  Platfrom,  ch.  ix,  sees.  6,  7. 

Dr.  Dexter  maintained  that  this  was  still  the  only  logical 
theory  of  the  Congregational  ministry : 

Strictly  speaking,  and  as  a  matter  of  pure  logical  deduction 
from  the  principles  of  the  case,  it  follows  that  when  such  a  pastor 
ceases  to  hold  his  official  relation  to  the  church  from  which  he  re- 
ceived his  elevation  to  the  ministry,  he  descends  into  the  ranks  of 
the  laity  again,  and  is  no  more  a  minister,  until  some  other  church 
shall  have  elected  and  ordained  (or  installed — as  all  ordinations 
of  a  man  after  his  first,  are  usually  called)  him  as  its  pastor;  when 
he  resumes  the  official  rank  which  he  had  demitted,  rising  again 
out  of  the  ranks  of  the  laity,  to  the  function  of  the  ministry.  He 
has  the  same  right  to  preach  in  this  interim  that  he  had  after  his 
licensure  before  his  first  ordination,  namely:  a  temporary  right  of 
courtesy  and  general  consent,  until — finding  that  the  Great  Head 
does  not  call  him  to  any  pastorship — he  shall  subside  into  a  mere 
layman;  or  until  he  shall  be  chosen  and  ordained  by  some  other 
church  as  its  pastor,  and  become  a  minister  again.  This,  we  say, 
is  the  necessary  verdict  of  the  principles  of  Congregationalism  in 
regard  to  this  matter;  as  it  was  the  practice  of  the  Fathers. — 
Dexter:    Congregationalism,  p.  150. 

But  this  theory,  logical  as  it  appeared,  was  obsolete  In 
Dr.  Dexter's  day,  and  had  begun  to  be  so  as  far  back  as  the 
day  of  Cotton  Mather,  in  which  it  was  the  opinion  of  the 
ministry  and  churches  that  a  minister  might  administer 
the  sacraments  to  a  church  without  a  pastor  and  that  a 
minister  did  not  leave  his  ordination  behind  him  whenever 
he  went  from  home. 

In  truth,  we  are  more  nearly  logical  in  this  matter  than 
we  ever  were  before.  Ordination  is  for  life,  and  not  for  a 
single  pastorate.  Installation  is  a  wholly  different  thing 
from  ordination,  or,  if  it  is  not,  then  installation  must  go. 
Membership  in  an  Association,  which  now  has  become  nec- 
essary to  good  standing  in  the  ministry,  is  no  longer  in  any 
proper  sense  voluntary.  The  old  theory  is  obsolete,  and  it 
never  was  logical. 


THE    DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION  307 

In  general  it  appears  to  be  safe,  and  also  just,  that  every 
minister  should  have  a  vote  in  the  Association  of  which 
he  is  a  member.  The  churches  may  save  themselves  from 
being  overw^helmed  by  the  clergy  by  increasing  the  pro- 
portion of  lay  members,  so  as  to  counterbalance  the  mem- 
bership of  ministers ;  but  it  must  be  confessed  to  the  credit 
of  the  ministry,  that  the  evils  against  which  it  is  proposed 
to  guard  our  churches  from  excess  of  the  unchurched  clergy 
are  mostly  theoretical.  One  thing  is  certain :  the  ministers 
will  not  consent  to  a  recrudescence  of  the  fallacious  theory 
that  ministerial  standing  depends  solely  upon  the  pastoral 
relation,  nor  would  the  church  for  a  moment  desire  it.  It 
is  quite  as  much  for  the  protection  of  the  churches  as  it  is 
for  the  welfare  of  the  ministry  that  ministerial  standing  is 
lodged  in  associations  of  churches;  and  in  the  association 
where  his  standing  is  held  a  minister  cannot  well  be  denied 
the  right  to  vote  on  questions  that  touch  that  standing. 
Indeed,  he  may  go  farther,  and  declare  that  in  voluntarily 
withdrawing  his  standing  from  an  association  of  ministers 
and  lodging  it  in  a  body  which  represents  the  churches  also, 
he  reserves  the  right,  in  matters  where  his  brother  ministers 
are  likely  to  be  most  competent  to  judge,  to  be  tried  by  a 
jury  of  his  peers. 

In  these  matters  Congregationalism  still  lacks  something 
of  complete  consistency;  but  it  is  only  fair  to  remember 
that  the  inconsistency  is  not  wholly  of  our  own  making. 
We  are  making  it  less,  instead  of  greater. 

What  Is  the  Status  of  Absent  Ministers?  Ministerial 
members  of  an  Association  transferring  their  residence  to 
another  Association  should  transfer  their  membership  to 
the  Association  within  which  they  reside,  and  the  names 
of  ministers  who  neglect  to  do  so  may  be  removed  from 
the  active  list  and  placed  upon  an  absent  list,  without  preju- 
dice to  their  ministerial  standing,  but  without  the  privilege 
of  active  membership.  Members  who  have  been  some  time 
absent  without  transferring  their  membership  or  communi- 


308         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

eating  with  the  Association  may  have  their  names  dropped 
from  the  rolls  of  the  Association. 

The  foregoing  provisions  should  not  be  held  to  apply 
to  foreign  missionaries  who  may  retain  their  membership 
in  their  home  Association,  and  should  be  administered  in 
a  spirit  of  tenderness  and  consideration,  and  also  in  the 
case  of  elderly  and  retired  ministers  not  engaged  in  secular 
business  who  have  good  cause  to  desire  to  continue  their 
membership  in  the  Associations  with  which  they  have  long 
been  connected. 

Chaplains  in  the  army  or  navy,  also,  should  be  kept  in 
orderly  membership  in  an  Association,  even  if  for  many 
years  they  are  absent  from  its  territorial  bounds. 

May  an  Association  Incorporate?  A  District  Associa- 
tion may  incorporate  under  the  laws  of  a  state  in  which  it 
is  located  as  a  corporation  not  for  pecuniary  profit.  As  the 
laws  of  the  several  states  are  not  uniform,  care  will  be  nec- 
essary to  see  that  all  the  provisions  of  the  law  are  fully 
met,  but  the  method  is  not  ordinarily  a  difficult  one.  A 
good  Christian  lawyer  should  be  consulted  and  his  advice 
followed  in  arranging  details.  Some  changes  may  be  re- 
quired in  the  Association's  constitution  to  conform  to  the 
law  and  make  the  organization  thoroughly  legal.  Without 
attempting  in  this  brief  space  to  give  the  details  that  arc 
required  by  the  laws  of  the  several  states,  the  following 
will  indicate  the  steps  that  usually  are  necessary: 

(i)  The  Association  should  vote  to  become  incorporated 
according  to  the  laws  of  the  state  within  which  it  is  located, 
and  adopt  all  changes  necessary  in  its  constitution  to  con- 
form to  the  laws  of  the  state. 

(2)  A  petition  should  be  addressed  to  the  Secretary  of 
State,  or  Commissioner  of  Corporations,  or  such  other  offi- 
cer as  the  state  designates,  setting  forth  the  following  in- 
iormation : 

(a)  The  corporate  name  of  the  Association. 

(b)  The  object  of  the  Association  as  stated  in  its  con- 
stitution. 


THE    DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION 309 

(c)  The  purpose  for  which  it  desires  incorporation,  as 
the  promotion  of  the  general  interests  of  the  churches  and 
the  ministers  composing  it,  and  of  the  interests  of  the  Con- 
gregational denomination  as  a  whole  and  the  various  organ- 
izations thereof. 

(d)  The  powers  which  it  desires  to  assume,  as  the  re- 
ceiving, holding,  transfer  of  property  in  trust,  or  otherwise, 
for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  churches,  or  of  any  church, 
or  of  any  organization  representative  of  the  churches. 

(e)  The  principal  place  of  business  of  the  corporation. 

(f)  The  list  of  officers  first  chosen  under  the  proposed 
corporation  and  the  residence  of  each,  and  the  statement 
that  these  are  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  of  the  state 
within  which  the  Association  is  located. 

(g)  The  declaration  that  this  organization  is  not  for 
pecuniary  profit  of  the  incorporators,  and  that  no  trustee  or 
director  thereof  receives  pecuniary  benefit  by  virtue  of  his 
relationship. 

(h)  The  corporate  seal  of  the  proposed  corporation, 

(i)  The  certificate  of  a  notary  public  with  oath,  if  re- 
quired by  law. 

(j)  A  copy  of  the  constitution  and  by-laws  of  the  pro- 
posed organization. 

This  application  being  filed,  the  Secretary  of  State  or 
Commissioner  of  Corporations  will  issue  a  certificate  of 
incorporation,  or  in  some  states  merely  certify  that  the 
papers  have  been  duly  recorded  and  are  on  file  in  the  state 
office. 

In  some  states  it  is  necessary  also  that  the  articles  oi 
incorporation  be  recorded  in  the  recorder's  office  of  the 
county  where  the  principal  business  office  of  the  Associa- 
tion is  located.  While  the  laws  of  the  several  states  vary 
in  detail,  the  process  is  ordinarily  quite  a  simple  one,  and 
while  a  lawyer  of  experience  should  attend  to  it,  he  will 
not  find  the  task  a  difficult  one. 

May  Associations  License  Candidates  for  the  Ministry? 
Associations  of  churches  may  and  should  license  candidates 


310         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

for  the  ministry.  The  Associations  of  ministers  in  New 
England  which  continue  this  practice  should  do  so  as  repre- 
senting the  Association  of  churches  and  ministers,  and  their 
action  should  become  valid  only  when  reported  to  and 
approved  by  the  District  Association  of  the  churches  and 
ministers. 

May  Associations  Ordain?  An  Association  of  churches 
and  ministers  may  ordain  ministers  of  the  gospel,  and  in 
many  states  they  are  performing  this  function. 

A  resolution  approving  ordination  by  Association  was 
submitted  to  the  Committee  on  Polity  at  the  National 
Council  in  Des  Moines  in  1904.  The  resolution  received 
the  formal  approval  of  the  committee,  but  was  not  reported 
to  the  council  because  it  was  deemed  likely  to  provoke  wide 
difference  of  opinion.  Three  years  later  at  Cleveland  the 
Council  unanimously  adopted  a  report  approving  the  reso- 
lution that  church  recognition  be  given  to  the  place  of  the 
Association  of  churches  as  a  conciliary  body,  and  author- 
izing Associations  to  ordain  ministers.  A  custom,  there- 
fore, which  already  was  in  operation  in  some  states,  has 
now  become  quite  general  and  is  of  undoubted  standing 
among  us. 

Local  Church  Does  Not  Ordain,  We  should  also  cease  to  claim 
for  the  local  church  the  exclusive  right  to  ordain.  That  belongs 
with  the  pastoral,  not  with  the  kingdom  theory  of  the  ministry. 
The  right  of  every  church  to  invite  any  man  to  officiate  as  its 
pastor  is  not  to  be  denied,  nor  its  right  to  call  a  council  to  ordain 
a  candidate.  The  Congregational  churches  may,  indeed,  prefer  to 
retain  this  method  of  getting  at  the  ordination  of  new  men.  But 
let  us  discharge  our  minds  of  the  fiction  that  the  meaning  of  this 
method  is  that  ordination  is  the  prerogative  of  a  single  church,  a 
sacred  part  of  its  wonderful  autonomy,  while  the  co-operation  of 
other  churches  in  ordination  is  social  courtesy  and  a  good  display 
of  church  fraternity.  It  is  time  to  hold  and  practice  the  larger  idea 
that  the  Congregational  church — Congregational  churches,  if  the 
phrase  is  preferred — provides  itself,  or  themselves,  with  a  ministry. 
The  ordination  of  a  candidate  is  the  act  of  the  church  at  large, 
performed  by  the  churches  of  a  vicinage  acting  co-ordinately  and 
representing  not  a  single  church  but  the  denomination. — Nash: 
Cong.  Administration,  pp.  66-67. 

Ordination  by  Association.  Ordination  should  be  by  that  body, 
namely,  the  local  Association  of  churches,  to  which  we  safely  en- 
trust  the   standing   of  ministers;   and   the    Association   should   be 


THE   DISTRICT  ASSOCIATION  311 

ready  to  meet  for  ordination  at  the  call  of  its  own  officers,  upon 
the  request  either  of  a  local  church  or  of  the  candidate  himself. 
And  even  if  ordination  by  a  council  of  churches  is  still  preferred, 
it  should  be  as  competent  and  orderly  for  an  Association  of 
churches  as  for  a  single  church  to  call  that  council.  The  provision, 
be  it  repeated,  of  an  unfailing  line  of  men  discharging  the  min- 
isterial function  in  the  Kingdom  and  the  church  is  the  duty  and 
prerogative  of  the  church,  or  of  the  churches  corporately,  not 
singly. — Nash:  Cong.  Administration,  p.  67. 

The  Best  Ordaining  Body.  It  is  evident  at  a  glance  that  ordi- 
nation by  an  Association  of  churches  is  good  Congregational  or- 
dination. No  man  ordained  by  such  a  body  would  have  his  min- 
isterial standing  questioned  anywhere  in  the  land.  The  Associa- 
tion is  a  better  body  than  the  council  for  this  service,  inasmuch 
as  it  includes  all  the  churches  of  the  vicinage  and  has  permanent 
life  and  records.  Having  more  time  and  repeated  sessions  for 
its  business,  with  standing  officers  and  committees,  it  is  less  likely 
than  a  council  to  perform  a  mistaken  ordination,  while  it  is  always 
at  hand  to  correct  such  an  error. — Nash:  Cong.  Administration, 
pp.  91-92. 

May  an  Association  Accept  or  Reject  Members?  Every 
deliberative  body  has  a  right  to  judge  of  the  qualifications 
of  its  own  members.  A  council  convened  within  the  bounds 
of  an  Association  cannot  require  the  Association  to  accept 
a  minister  whom  it  ordains.  Associations  have  full  author- 
ity to  inquire  concerning  the  composition  and  findings  of 
councils  within  their  bounds,  and  to  refuse  to  receive  as 
members  any  ministers  who  have  been  ordained  by  councils 
not  fairly  representative  of  the  whole  body  of  the  Associa- 
tion. Associations  may  also  refuse  to  receive  by  transfer 
from  another  Association  any  minister  whom  they  believe 
to  be  unworthy  or  to  have  been  hastily  ordained. 

Can  an  Association  Depose  a  Minister?  An  Association, 
having  the  right  to  ordain  ministers  and  being  entrusted  by 
the  churches  with  the  standing  of  the  ministers  within  its 
bounds,  has  also  the  right  to  terminate  the  ministerial 
standing  of  one  of  its  own  members  for  cause,  and  may 
withhold  or  withdraw  fellowship  from  a  minister  for  im- 
morality, or  unfaithfulness  to  his  vows  of  ordination,  pro- 
vided that  every  minister  shall  have  the  right  to  demand  a 
fair  trial,  either  before  the  Association  or  by  a  council  to 
be  chosen  by  the  accused  and  the  Association  of  which  he 


312        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

is  a  member.  No  minister  from  whom  fellowship  has  been 
withdrawn  by  an  Association  or  a  similar  organization  or 
by  any  ecclesiastical  body  in  fellowship,  should  be  consid- 
ered a  Congregational  minister  by  the  Association,  but 
should  be  regarded  as  deposed  by  the  authority  of  the 
churches. 

An  Association  may  withdraw  fellowship  from  a  church 
that  walks  disorderly. 

For  many  years  the  author  of  this  work  has  asserted 
the  right  of  an  Association  either  to  ordain  or  depose. 
Until  recently  he  has  supposed  that  he  stood  alone  among 
authorities  on  Congregational  usage  in  this  assertion.  This 
was  in  no  way  surprising,  as  both  Dexter  and  Ross  finished 
their  work  before  the  changes  wrought  in  our  polity  were 
recognized  by  the  National  Councils  of  1904  and  1907. 
This  principle  the  author  discussed  with  Dr.  George  M. 
Boynton  when  he  was  preparing  "The  Congregational 
Way,"  but  Dr.  Boynton  followed  closely  after  Dexter  in 
this  particular.  The  author  knew  that  Dr.  Ross  held  posi- 
tions regarding  the  development  of  Congregationalism 
which  logically  involved  all  that  this  present  work  asserts 
with  reference  to  this  right  of  Associations,  and  that  the 
National  Council  had  committed  itself  to,  and  the  custom 
of  the  denomination  had  indubitably  accepted,  the  newer 
and  more  efficient  order  of  things.  But  as  this  present 
work  was  undergoing  revision  the  author  was  surprised  to 
find  the  entire  system  of  associational  ordination  and  depo- 
sition wrought  out  by  Dr.  Ross  in  prophecy,  as  follows: 

May  not  councils  give  place  to  Associations  of  churches  in 
ordaining  and  deposing  ministers? 

(1)  There  is  nothing  in  the  nature  of  the  case  to  prevent  this 
change.  The  churches  in  any  locality  may,  in  the  exercise  of  their 
inalienable  right,  extend  fellowship  to  a  man  in  ordination  or  with- 
hold it  from  him  in  deposition  through  an  Association  that  meets 
statedly,  as  well  as  through  a  council  that  meets  occasionally.  The 
same  churches  do  it  in  either  case,  and  a  council  has  no  greater 
warrant  than  an  Association,  if  as  good. 

(2)  There  are  reasons  why  an  Association  can  ordain  and  de- 
pose better  than  a  council  of  churches.  These  reasons  are:  (a)  The 
Association  embraces  the  churches  in  any  locality,  while  the  coun- 


THE    DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION 313 

cil  may  include  only  a  part  of  them,  or  go  entirely  beyond  their 
number.  Thus  the  inalienable  right  of  the  churches  in  any  locality 
to  extend  or  withhold  fellowship  finds  a  far  safer  expression  in 
Associations  than  in  councils.  Indeed,  councils  sometimes  not 
only  ignore  this  right,  but  contemn  and  defy  it.  (b)  If  an  Associa- 
tion make  a  mistake  in  ordination  or  deposition,  it  can  correct  it, 
and  both  will  be  recorded  in  the  same  journal  for  preservation  and 
inspection — the  same  body  correcting  its  own  mistake.  But  if  a 
council,  doing  the  same  things,  commit  a  blunder,  it  cannot  after 
adjournment  correct  it.  Another  council  must  be  called  to  do  that. 
So  it  is  one  council  against  another  council.  Besides,  the  results 
of  both  councils,  being  nowhere  recorded,  unless  by  the  churches 
.calling  them,  are  soon  lost  altogether,  or  no  one  knows  where  to 
find  them.  True,  in  some  states  efforts  are  made  to  preserve  them, 
but  probably  in  no  state  are  the  collections  complete,  while  in 
many  states  no  effort  is  made  to  preserve  them,  (c)  The  inde- 
pendence of  the  churches  is  not  interfered  with  by  either  method. 
Each  church  can  have  whom  it  pleases  as  pastor.  If  the  Associa- 
tion will  not  ordain  whom  the  church  wants,  the  church  is  in  the 
same  condition  precisely  as  if  the  same  churches  in  council  had 
refused  to  ordain  him.  If  the  church,  to  ordain  a  man  under  such 
circumstances,  go  beyond  the  boundary  of  the  Association  for  a 
council,  or  pick  a  council  from  within  the  Association,  it  defies  the 
inalienable  right  of  those  churches  in  the  locality,  which  cannot  be 
held  to  be  a  gain  for  councils.  Instead,  it  is  better  for  the  church 
to  fall  back  upon  its  own  inalienable  right  to  elect  and  inaugurate 
its  own  officers  by  ordination,  remembering  that  it  may  itself  be 
cut  off  in  consequence  from  the  Association  and  all  church  fellow- 
ship for  violation  of  its  covenant  with  the  churches  in  connection. 
(d)  In  case  of  ordination  by  the  Association  of  churches,  expulsion 
after  trial  by  a  similar  body  would  be  deposition  from  the  min- 
istry. It  would  be  the  withdrawal  of  recognition  by  the  churches 
of  ,the  man's  call  and  function  as  a  minister,  from  which  action 
appeal  may  be  taken  to  a  mutual  council,  (e)  The  expense  in  time 
and  money  of  councils  of  ordination  and  deposition,  when  the 
churches  have  stated  meetings  in  associations,  becomes  a  reason 
why  the  association  should  do  the  work,  if  consistent  with  princi- 
ple. This  reason  is  apparent  in  the  western  states  and  territories. 
—Ross:  Church-Kingdom,  pp.  288-289. 

If,  however,  this  principle  is  recognized,  as  it  is  now 
and  henceforth  must  be  recognized,  the  power  of  deposition 
by  Association  is  in  nowise  limited,  as  might  appear  to  be 
implied  under  (d)  above,  to  ministers  who  have  been 
ordained  by  Associations.  When  once  the  principle  is  con- 
ceded thkt  an  Association  can  ordain,  any  minister,  no 
matter  how  ordained,  may  be  deposed  by  the  Association 
of  which  he  is  a  member. 

Is  Deposition  by  Act  of  Association  Good  Congrega- 
tionalism?   The  rule  here  laid  down  that  a  Congregational 


314        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

minister  may  be  deposed  from  the  ministry  by  act  of  the 
Association  of  which  he  is  a  member  is  the  logical  and  inev- 
itable corollary  from  the  now  recognized  right  of  Associa- 
tions to  ordain.  That  it  meets  a  distinct  and  crying  need 
in  Congregationalism  may  be  attested  by  the  experience  of 
any  minister  who  has  gone  through  with  the  painful  process 
of  withdrawing  fellowship  under  the  old  plan.  That  plan 
as  described  by  Dexter  was  the  following: 

(1)  In  the  possible  case  of  gross  heresy  or  evil  life  in  its  pastor, 
a  Congregational  church  should  proceed  to  discipline  him  for  the 
same  as  if  he  were  only  a  private  member,  until  it  has  reached  the 
stage  of  full  conviction  of  guilt.  (2)  Then — in  virtue  of  the  in- 
volved fellowship  of  the  churches — instead  of  proceeding  to  pass 
the  final  vote  and  pronounce  sentence,  it  should  call  a  council  to 
advise  in  the  sad  case.  (3)  Should  the  pastor  be  so  excessively  un- 
wise as  to  decline  to  unite  with  them  for  this  purpose,  they  may 
call  one  ex-parte.  (4)  This  council  should  go  over  the  case,  and 
if  satisfied  of  guilt,  and  the  pastor  remain  impenitent,  or  if,  even 
though  he  be  penitent,  the  aggravated  circumstances  of  the  case 
seem  to  require  it,  it  should  advise  the  church  to  depose  the  of- 
fender from  his  ministry,  and  perhaps  excommunicate  him  from 
its  fellowship.  (5)  It  will  then  be  orderly  for  the  church  to  ac- 
cept, and  follow,  this  advice  of  council. 

On  the  Congregational  theory,  as  has  before  been  said,  every 
pastor  ought  to  be  first  a  member  of  his  own  church.  I  see  no 
way  of  efficiently  adjusting  our  system  in  this  respect  to  that 
"acting  pastor"  and  "stated  supply"  phase  which  has  so  largely 
come  over  our  ministry,  without  taking  the  ground  that  when- 
ever a  minister  assumes  the  position  of  quasi  pastor  of  a  church, 
he,  in  so  doing  and  by  virtue  of  that  fact,  so  far  joins  that  church 
as  of  his  own  consent  to  render  himself  amenable  to  its  discipline 
as  if  he  were  a  member  and  pastor  in  full.  And  I  recommend  that 
every  church  insert  some  clause  to  this  effect  among  its  stand- 
ing rules. — Dexter:  Handbook,  pp.  114-115. 

However  logical  the  foregoing  method  may  have  seemed 
in  theory,  it  seldom,  if  ever,  worked  well  in  practice. 
Churches  simply  would  not  go  through  this  five-fold  agony. 
Moreover,  it  never  was  logical  to  throw  the  whole  burden 
of  such  a  long  drawn-out  and  harrowing  process  upon  a 
single  church  already  distracted  and  perhaps  divided  over 
the  discovery  of  the  unworthiness  of  its  minister. 

Dr.  George  M.  Boynton  set  forth  distinctly  the  processes 
of  withdrawal  of  fellowship  as  they  appeared  to  him. 

As  to  the  conditions  of  this  standing  and  its  certification  or  loss, 


THE   DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION 315 

the  matter  may  perhaps  be  made  most  clear  by  separating  the  ele- 
ments in  which  good  standing  consists: 

(1)  As  an  individual,  the  minister  is  a  member  of  a  local  church 
like  other  men,  and  is  responsible  to  it  for  his  consistent  living. 
So  far  as  this  is  concerned  he  may  lose  his  standing  as  a  church 
member  by  the  action  of  the  church  of  which  he  is  a  member.  It 
is  an  ancient  usage,  and  advisable  in  most  cases,  that,  in  dealing 
■with  a  ministerial  member,  a  church  should  call  in  the  advice  of 
the  neighboring  churches  in  a  mutual  council,  to  aid  it  in  its  con- 
clusion. If  the  council  should  advise  the  removal  of  the  minister 
from  his  membership  in  the  church,  it  could  also  advise  the 
churches  no  longer  to  regard  him  as  a  minister. 

(2)  As  a  member  of  a  profession,  he  has  been  received  Into  a 
ministerial  Association,  which  may  terminate  his  membership  by 
vote.  The  vote  should  state  the  reason  for  the  action,  on  which 
the  effect  of  the  action  would  depend.  If  simply  for  long  con- 
tinued absence,  it  would  cast  no  reflection  on  his  moral  character, 
though  it  might  on  his  conception  of  the  requirements  of  good  fel- 
lowship. The  effect  of  the  action  of  a  ministerial  Association 
would,  however,  only  affect  his  professional  standing,  though  it 
might  be  conclusive  of  his  ministry,  if  no  further  appeal  were 
taken  by  him. 

(3)  His  standing  as  a  minister  of  the  Congregational  denomina- 
tion would  be  directly  affected  by  the  action  of  an  ecclesiastical 
body,  as  the  local  conference  or  state  Association  of  which  he  is 
a  member.  This,  especially  if  communicated  to  other  such  bodies 
in  the  land,  would  directly  discredit  him;  and  unless  he  should 
appeal  to  an  ecclesiastical  council,  it  would  terminate  his  ministe- 
rial career  and  remove  him  from  the  ministry  of  the  denomination. 

(4)  The  ultimate  appeal  in  all  cases  Is  to  an  ecclesiastical  coun- 
cil, which  alone  can  finally  take  away  from  a  Congregational  min- 
ister the  standing  which  was  conferred  on  him  by  a  similar  body. 

It  may  be  seen  that  at  any  stage  of  this  proceeding,  the  action 
of  a  church,  ministerial  Association,  ecclesiastical  conference  or 
council,  will  be  final,  if  concurred  in,  or  not  resisted,  by  the  per- 
son affected  thereby.  It  is  seldom  that  the  ultimate  appeal  is  de- 
sired or  necessary. 

The  expression  "deposed  from  the  ministry,"  though  occasion- 
ally used,  does  not  seem  to  be  in  accord  with  Congregational  prin- 
ciples. On  the  belief  that  the  Lord  has  called  a  man  to  the  min- 
istry, a  Congregational  council  recognizes  that  call,  and  extends 
its  fellowship  to  its  ministry.  All  that  it  can  properly  do  in  the 
extremest  case  is  to  withdraw  the  recognition  and  fellowship  which 
it  has  extended. — Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  pp.  89-90. 

It  will  be  noted  in  the  foregoing  that  it  is  really  expected 
that  a  guilty  minister  will  not  insist  upon  his  right  to  call 
a  council,  but  will  be  satisfied  to  drop  the  matter  at  some 
earlier  stage.  Dr.  Boynton  was  in  error  in  saying  that  the 
term  "deposed  from  the  ministry"  is  not  in  accord  with  Con- 
gregational principles.    It  was  formerly  used  at  the  termina- 


316        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

tion  of  every  pastorate.  That  use  rightly  became  obsolete, 
but  still  is  an  entirely  proper  term. 

Both  the  foregoing  authorities  are  logical  if  it  be  con- 
ceded that  an  Association  has  no  authority  to  ordain.  But 
Associations  have  authority  to  ordain,  and  therefore  have  a 
right  to  depose. 

Dr.  Dexter,  in  a  figure  borrowed  from  the  application 
of  isolation  to  cases  of  infectious  disease,  showed  how  com- 
pletely a  minister  who  has  proved  unworthy  may  be  isolated 
by  processes  beginning  and  terminating  in  the  local  church : 

Isolation  in  Infectious  Disease.  The  very  isolation  and  inde- 
pendence which  belong  to  Congregationalism  favor  this  freeness 
from  error.  The  first  thing  to  be  done  in  a  crowded  community 
when  a  case  of  zymotic  disease  occurs,  is  to  segregate  the  patient, 
and  so  cut  ofif  all  possibility,  and  prevent  all  danger,  of  diffusing 
the  infection.  Congregational  churches  can  "withdraw  themselves" 
from  erring  sister  churches,  or  anti-scriptural  and  unorthodox 
preachers,  and  so  the  spread  of  contagion  will  be  checked,  if  not 
arrested.  If  a  church-member  fall  into  false  doctrine  or  vicious 
behavior,  the  others  deal  with  him  and  cast  him  out.  If  a  pastor 
become  unsound  in  doctrine  or  evil  in  life,  his  church  casts  him 
out,  and  in  so  doing  warns  other  churches  against  him.  Or,  if  his 
whole  church  should  have  been  corrupted  and  side  with  him,  its 
neighbor  churches  may  easily  cut  the  cord  of  fellowship  by  which 
it  is  holden  to  them  and  let  the  danger  drift  out  of  their  neigh- 
borhood. Had  the  churches  of  Massachusetts  at  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century  been  bound  together  into  any  Presbyterian 
or  other  hierarchic  unity,  instead  of  sloughing  off  the  Unitarian 
error,  and  coming  forth  from  the  trial  exalted  to  a  higher  and 
nobler  and  more  efifective  Orthodoxy,  there  can  hardly  be  a  doubt 
that  the  struggle  would  have  been  infinitely  more  severe,  ending, 
most  likely,  in  disastrous  failure.  In  England  Presbyterianism, 
with  its  much  vaunted  security  against  doctrinal  decay,  became 
Unitarian;  while  the  "loosely  organized"  Congregational  churches 
of  that  land  remain  to  this  day  essentially  sound  in  the  ancient 
faith  once  delivered  to  the  saints. — Handbook,  p.  133. 

This  figure  had  some  force  in  the  day  when  Congrega- 
tionalism was  local,  and  a  minister  cut  ofif  from  fellowship 
in  his  own  church  was  effectually  cut  off  from  other 
churches,  none  of  them  far  enough  away  to  be  in  ignorance 
of  what  had  taken  place.  But  no  such  system  is  adequate 
in  a  system  as  large  as  Congregationalism  has  grown  to 
be.  An  unworthy  minister,  cut  off  from  membership  in  a 
church  in  Maine,  can  be  in  Arizona  before  the  following 


THE    DISTRICT   ASSOCIATION  317 


Sunday,  and  having  scattered  disease  there  for  a  year  or 
two  need  not  lose  a  single  Sunday  in  transporting  himself 
to  Minnesota,  where,  having  wrecked  a  church,  he  may 
move  on  to  Florida.  No  action  by  local  churches  in  any 
of  these  distant  communities  does  or  can  prevent  his 
carrying  the  germs  of  his  false  doctrine  or  immorality  from 
state  to  state.  The  older  method,  so  stoutly  defended  by 
the  earlier  authorities,  has  proved  ineffective,  and  must  be 
relegated,  as  virtually  it  has  been  relegated,  to  a  place 
among  the  things  that  served  in  the  day  of  short  distances 
and  provincial  distribution  of  churches,  but  which  have  no 
proper  place  in  continental  Congregationalism. 

Withdrawing  Fellowship.  Our  present  method  of  church 
Associations,  with  redress  in  mutual  councils,  gives  unity  without 
loss  of  liberty.  These  Associations  include  all  our  churches.  If 
a  church  violate  its  covenant  which  it  entered  into  on  joining  the 
Association,  it  may  be  expelled  for  the  same,  or  fellowship  may 
be  withdrawn  from  it.  But  there  is  here,  as  in  the  case  of  min- 
isterial standing  in  Associations,  no  exercise  of  authority  over  the 
church;  for  all  the  Association  does  is  to  clear  itself  in  self-pro- 
tection of  an  unworthy  member.  The  church  may  manage  all  its 
own  affairs,  even  to  having  whom  it  will  as  pastor;  but  it  may  not 
presume  to  manage  the  affairs  of  other  churches  and  force  itself 
upon  their  fellowship  in  Association;  for  that  would  be  the  exercise 
of  authority  by  one  church  over  other  churches.  To  deny  an  As- 
sociation of  churches  this  common  right  of  self-protection,  under 
the  cry  of  centralization,  is  the  abstirdity  of  license;  is  to  make 
one  wayward  church  supreme  in  power;  it  is  to  give  the  said 
church  the  right  and  power  to  compel  others  to  fellowship  it. 
Fellowship  is  reciprocal,  between  equals,  and  it  is  no  centralization 
to  exclude  the  unworthy  from  fellowship. — Ross:  Church-Kingdom, 
p.  369. 

Is  the  Increase  of  Power  on  the  Part  of  the  Association 
Justifiable?  It  is  evident  that  this  chapter  contemplates  a 
considerable  increase  of  responsibility  on  the  part  of  Asso- 
ciations over  that  of  the  Associations  in  former  days.  It  is 
important  that  any  change  so  widespread  and  involving  so 
many  apparent  departures  from  ancient  custom  should  be 
carefully  safeguarded.  If  Associations  should  come  to  per- 
form  the   solemn    responsibility   of   ordination,   and   other 


318        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

grave  functions,  as  mere  details  of  Association  business, 
the  result  might  easily  become  deplorable.  It  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  where  Associations  take  over  en- 
larged functions  there  be  assurance  that  the  churches  are 
ready  for  the  change,  and  that  the  Associations  themselves 
are  prepared  to  assume  the  responsibilities  and  attend  to 
them  in  an  orderly  and  efficient  manner. 

These  dangers  being  safeguarded,  there  can  be  little 
doubt  of  the  desirability  of  the  evolution  now  so  manifest 
in  our  ecclesiastical  life.  Our  churches  have  always  be- 
lieved in  fellowship,  but  the  organic  forms  through  which 
that  fellowship  has  been  expressed  have  been  exceedingly 
variable  and  may  still  be  varied  at  the  discretion  of  the 
churches  as  guided  by  the  Spirit  of  God.  The  local  church 
is  still  supreme  within  its  own  parish,  but  the  churches  are 
finding  and  will  find  more  permanent  and  stable  forms  of 
fellowship  than  the  vicinage  council  can  provide  for  the 
needs  of  the  churches  in  their  organic  unity. 

The  Vital  Unit.  Associations,  conferences,  councils,  societies, 
National  Council,  all  are  organizations  of  local  churches,  not  of 
individual  Christians,  not  of  independent  and  authoritative  officials. 
The  churches  unite  of  their  ow^n  vv'ill  into  all  these  social  forms, 
giving  to  them  their  leadership,  their  standing  warrant,  their  life 
itself. — Nash:  Cong.  Administration,  p.  17. 

Even  Dr.  George  M.  Boynton  recognized  not  merely 
the  inevitable  trend  of  Congregationalism  toward  the  more 
stable  form  of  fellowship,  but  the  inherent  advantages  of 
a  permanent  over  a  temporary  body  in  matters  of  minis- 
terial standing.     He  said: 

The  conference  then,  if  so  authorized  by  the  churches  compos- 
ing it,  could  properly  act  in  the  licensure  of  candidates  and  in  place 
of  a  council  in  the  ordination  and  installation  of  ministers,  and 
could  be  the  custodian  of  ministerial  standing  and  do  much  v^^hich 
a  council  has  been  accustomed  to  do.  The  spread  of  Congrega- 
tionalism over  a  continent  makes  the  council,  which  has  no  per- 
manent existence  or  records,  more  difficult,  and  possibly  less  suc- 
cessful than  formerly,  and  also  makes  the  local  body,  which  has 
continuance,  of  more  importance  in  the  denominational  doings. — 
Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  pp.  122-123. 

Liberties  of  Churches  Secure.  If  we  bear  in  mind,  that  legisla- 
tion and  judicature  have  no  place  in  the  church,  in  general  bodies 


THE  DISTRICT  ASSOCIATION 319 

or  anywhere  else,  the  liberties  of  the  churches  are  entirely  safe.— 
Heermance:  Democracy  in  the  Church,  pp.  102-103. 

Standing  of  Chxirches  and  Ministers,  No  Congregational 
church  is  independent.  It  can  become  so  by  withdrawing  from  its 
affiliations  with  the  other  churches,  but  in  that  case  it  ceases  to  be 
a  part  of  the  Congregational  body. — Dr.  Quint:  In  Dunning's  Con- 
gregationalists  in  America,  p.  492. 

What  Are  the  Rules  of  Business  of  the  District  Associa- 
tion? Each  District  Association  makes  its  own  rules  of 
business,  but  is  governed  in  general  by  the  precedents  and 
established  Uses  of  the  Congregational  denomination. 

Specific  directions  for  the  government  of  District  Associations 
are  given  in  the  author's  Congregational  Manual,  pp.  160-164,  and 
in  its  Rules  of  Order,  pp.  14-28. 

What  May  an  Advisory  Committee  Do?  An  important 
feature  of  the  new  form  of  organization  of  Associations  is 
the  standing  committee,  known  either  as  the  executive  or 
advisory  committee.  An  outline  of  the  duties  of  this  com- 
mittee, which  of  course  may  be  varied  according  to  the 
will  of  the  Association,  is  herewith  given  as  the  same  is 
practiced  in  the  Chicago  Association. 

The  advisory  committee  is  a  large  and  representative 
body,  whose  members  are  elected  for  a  period  of  three 
years,  the  term  of  one-third  expiring  each  year.  It  is  an 
incorporated  body  having  the  power  of  a  board  of  trustees 
under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  Illinois  and  can  hold  property 
for  the  Association,  or  in  trust  for  any  church  or  other 
object  which  the  Association  may  designate.  It  is  the  com- 
mittee on  credentials  and  the  committee  on  discipline  and 
also  the  committee  on  licensure.  It  meets  monthly  for  the 
examination  of  candidates  for  licensure,  to  receive  applica- 
tions for  membership  in  the  Association,  and  for  such  busi- 
ness as  may  come  before  it.  It  has  no  authority  to  grant 
certificates  of  licensure,  serving  only  as  a  committee  of 
examination  and  conference,  having  general  oversight  of 
licentiates.  It  does  not  grant  admission  to  or  dismission 
from  the  Association,  but  when  a  member  applies  to  the 
Association   not  having  received    his   credentials   and   has 


320         THE    LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

been  approved  subject  to  the  receipt  of  proper  papers,  the 
advisory  committee  is  authorized  to  approve  the  credentials 
when  they  come,  thus  completing  a  pending  membership, 
and  sometimes  preventing  the  name  of  a  minister  in  good 
standing  from  being  omitted  for  a  year  from  the  national 
Year  Book.  The  advisory  committee,  or  a  major  portion 
thereof,  is  expected  to  be  invited  to  councils  of  ordination 
held  within  the  bounds  of  the  Association,  unless  such 
council  includes  the  whole  membership  of  the  Association. 
In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  the  advisory  committee  is 
authorized  to  represent  the  Association  on  invitation  of  any 
church  or  minister  in  need  of  advice.  It  has  been  called 
into  council  to  consider  the  wisdom  of  organizing,  dividing, 
combining,  and  disbanding  churches ;  in  matters  of  dispute 
between  pastor  and  church ;  in  matters  relating  to  the  stand- 
ing and  character  of  ministers.  It  has  been  able  to  handle 
many  difficult  matters  with  some  degree  of  tact  and  wis- 
dom, its  functions  being  in  general  to  do  those  things  which 
the  Association  needs  to  have  done  between  its  own  regular 
meetings  and  which  are  not  delegated  by  the  Association 
to  some  special  body.  Its  functions  fall  into  two  classes: 
First,  those  which  belong  to  it  as  the  executive  body  of  an 
Illinois  corporation,  and  secondly,  those  which  are  delegated 
to  it  by  special  vote  of  the  Association.  Not  every  Associa- 
tion has  need  of  legal  incorporation,  but  almost  every  Asso- 
ciation has  need  of  some  such  body  to  represent  the  Asso- 
ciation between  its  own  stated  meetings  and  always  subject 
to  the  Association. 


XVIII.     THE  STATE  CONFERENCE 

What  Is  a  State  Conference?  A  State  Conference  is  a 
body  composed  of  the  churches  and  ministers  of  a  large 
district,  commonly  one  of  the  states  or  territories  in  the 
Union. 

This  definition  does  not  overlook  the  possibility  of  the 
union  of  two  or  more  states,  as  Kentucky  and  Tennessee, 
in  one  Conference,  or  the  division  of  one  larger  state,  as 
California,  into  two  or  more  State  Conferences,  each  pos- 
sessing in  the  territory  which  it  covers  all  the  characteristics 
and  prerogatives  of  a  State  Conference. 

Is  the  Conference  Composed  of  Delegates  from  Associa- 
tions? The  State  Conference  is  not  composed  of  delegates 
from  the  District  Associations.  It  is  made  up  (i)  of  the 
ministers  in  good  standing  belonging  to  the  Associations 
within  its  bounds,  and  (2)  of  the  churches  represented 
directly  by  their  own  delegates.  Territorially  it  equals,  or 
should  equal,  the  sum  of  the  Associations  within  it,  but  the 
composition  of  its  membership  is  formed  directly  by  the 
churches  and  the  ministers. 

Dr.  Dexter  assumed  that  "the  several  District  Confer- 
ences" or  Associations,  would  be  "united  together  in,  and 
send  delegates  to.  State  Conferences,  which  meet  once  a 
year"  (Handbook,  p.  125).  But  as  uniformly  constituted, 
our  State  Conferences  are  made  up,  not  of  delegates  from 
the  district  bodies,  but  of  delegates  from  all  the  churches 
of  the  state,  and  ministers  from  the  same  state  or  territorial 
division. 

How  Many  Delegates  May  a  Church  Elect  to  a  Con- 
ference? The  State  Conference  determines  by  its  own  vote 
the  number  of  delegates  which  each  church  may  elect. 
Ordinarily  each  church  is  represented  by  its  pastor  and  one 
lay  delegate,  but  a  minister,  having  membership  in  the  body 
by  right  of  his  ministerial  standing,  need  not  always  be 
regarded  as  representing  his  church.     In  some  states  it  has 


322        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

been  held  that  only  the  lay  delegate  should  be  regarded  as 
representing  the  church.  This,  however,  is  the  exception, 
and  does  not  deserve  to  become  the  rule.  A  pastor,  even 
though  he  has  standing  in  the  body  as  a  minister,  should 
be  enrolled  as  representing  his  church.  The  church  deserves 
the  dignity  of  representation  both  clerical  and  lay,  and  the 
pastor,  even  though  he  have  interests  in  the  body  apart  from 
those  that  are  distinctly  pastoral,  should  be  there  primarily 
as  a  representative  of  his  church.  The  Conference  may  in- 
crease the  number  of  its  lay  delegates,  admitting  two  or 
more  from  each  church. 

Does  Ministerial  Standing  Repose  in  the  State  Confer- 
ence? Ministerial  standing  is  deposited  in  the  District 
Association,  and  not  in  the  State  Conference.  The  excep- 
tions to  this  rule  have  been  few,  and  practically  have  been 
confined  to  states  with  so  few  Congregational  churches  that 
the  District  Association  and  the  State  Conference  are  one 
body.  In  such  cases  there  is  no  valid  objection  to  the 
State  Conference  holding  ministerial  standing,  but  the  gen- 
eral rule  is  wise  and  well-established  that  the  body  of 
churches  and  ministers  nearest  to  the  local  church  should 
retain  ministerial  standing.  But  no  minister  can  be  a  mem- 
ber of  a  State  Conference  except  he  have  ministerial  stand- 
ing in  a  District  Association,  in  states  where  the  two  bodies 
exist. 

Higher  Memberships  Rest  on  Good  Standing.  Conceivably  it 
may  still  be  asked  why  the  state  conference  should,  in  constituting 
its  membership,  refer  at  all  to  the  local  associations.  The  answer 
is,  Because  our  Congregational  practise  leaves  in  the  associations 
the  determination  of  the  good  standing  which  consists  in  member- 
ship acquired  and  retained.  The  state  conference,  the  national 
societies,  and  the  National  Council  then  accept  the  matter  of 
membership  as  settled  and  adjust  their  practise  thereto.  The 
question  then  becomes  one  as  to  representation  in  these  higher 
bodies.  And  the  two  classes  to  be  represented  are:  (1)  churches 
and  (2)  ministers,  the  whole  number  of  the  latter  as  an  ordained 
ministry,  not  merely  the  major  fraction  of  them  as  pastors.  Our 
organific  direction,  as  considered  in  the  first  lecture,  is  from  below 
upward.  The  single  church  is  first.  The  churches  organize  the 
local  association,  and  make  it  the  corner-stone  of  our  fellowship 
structure.  The  churches  carry  up  to  the  state  conference  nothing 
which  the  smaller  bodies  can  bear  just  as  well.    And  the  churches 


THE     STATE     CONFERENCE 323 

carry  on  to  the  national  bodies  only  the  still  wider  interests  com- 
mon to  the  states. — Nash:  Congregational  Administration,  pp.  108, 
109. 

May  a  Conference  Invite  Corresponding  Members?    A 

Conference  may  invite  ministers  or  laymen  of  other  bodies, 
who  are  present,  to  sit  as  corresponding  members,  having 
the  right  to  the  floor  without  vote.  This  courtesy  is  pecu- 
liarly appropriate  where  such  visiting  members  are  present 
in  an  official  capacity. 

May  a  Conference  Entertain  an  Appeal  from  an  Asso- 
ciation? A  State  Conference  may  not  entertiin  an  appeal 
from  a  District  Association.  It  is  not  the  intention  in  Con- 
gregational usage  to  provide  the  fatally  convenient  machin- 
ery of  a  series  of  ascending  courts.  A  State  Conference 
might  advise  an  Association,  or  mediate  between  two  Asso- 
ciations, but  precedents  for  such  action,  if  they  exist  at  all, 
are  rare. 

May  Superior  Bodies  Receive  Overtures?  A  District 
Association  may  present  overtures  or  memorials  to  a  State 
Conference,  and  a  District  Association  or  State  Conference 
may  present  memorials  to  the  National  Council  in  any 
matter  touching  the  welfare  of  the  churches ;  and  any  such 
communication  is  entitled  to  receive  and  invariably  does 
receive  careful  consideration. 

May  an  Appeal  Be  Taken  from  a  Conference  to  the 
National  Council?  No  appeal  can  be  taken  from  a  State 
Conference  to  the  National  Council.  A  State  Conference, 
however,  may  ask  advice  of  the  National  Council,  and  the 
Council  is  competent  to  give  its  best  judgment  with  as 
much  force  as  there  is  force  in  the  reason  of  it.  The 
National  Council  would  be  justified,  however,  in  declining 
to  give  advice  on  a  matter  of  less  than  national  interest. 

By  What  Rules  Are  Conferences  Governed?  Confer- 
ences are  governed  first  of  all  by  their  own  rules  of  order 
as  set  forth  in  their  constitution  and  by-laws,  and  secondly, 
by  the  general  principles  of  Congregational  usage. 

Specific   directions   for   the  government   of   State    Conference* 


324        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

are  given  in  the  author's  Congregational  Manual,  pp.  160-164,  and 
in  its  Rules  of  Order,  pp.  14-28. 

May  a  State  Conference  Incorporate?  State  Confer- 
ences are  quite  generally  identical  in  membership  with  the 
State  Home  Missionary  Society,  and  may  exercise  through 
this  or  other  forms  of  organization  authority  over  the  mis- 
sionary societies  maintained  by  the  churches  of  the  Asso- 
ciation. The  National  Council  in  1907  recommended  that 
State  Conferences  become  legally  incorporated  and  em- 
powered to  hold  property  and  conduct  the  operations  of  the 
churches  in  their  missionary  and  philanthropic  work: 

That  the  state  organizations  become  legally  incorporated 
bodies;  and  that  under  a  general  superintendent  and  such  boards 
as  they  may  create,  and  acting  in  co-operation  with  committees  of 
local  Associations  and  churches,  they  provide  for  and  direct  the 
extension  of  church  work,  the  planting  of  churches,  the  mutual 
oversight  and  care  of  all  self-sustaining  as  well  as  missionary 
churches,  and  other  missionary  and  church  activities  to  the  end 
that  closer  union  may  insure  greater  efficiency  without  curtailing 
local  independence. 

In  harmony  with  the  foregoing  recommendation,  State 
Conferences  are  remodeling  their  constitutions  and  provid- 
ing for  more  centralized  power  to  be  exercised  by  the 
churches  in  their  representative  capacity. 

How  May  State  Bodies  Consolidate?  Where  a  Home 
Missionary  Society  exists  and  it  is  desired  that  its  work  be 
taken  over  and  performed  by  the  State  Conference,  the  fol- 
lowing steps  are  necessary: 

(i)  The  State  Conference  should  change  its  constitu- 
tion so  as  to  provide  for  incorporation,  and  incorporation 
should  be  obtained  in  the  manner  directed  for  the  incor- 
poration of  District  Associations. 

(2)  The  State  Home  Missionary  Society  should  change 
its  constitution  so  as  to  provide  for  the  taking  over  of  its 
work  by  the  State  Conference. 

(3)  The  two  constitutions  should  be  so  adjusted  that 
the  Board  of  Directors  shall  be  the  same  in  number  in  both 
bodies,  and  it  should  be  planned  that  the  same  persons  be 
elected  separately  in  each  body. 


THE     STATE     CONFERENCE 325 

(4)  The  State  Home  Missionary  Society  should  not  be 
permitted  to  pass  out  of  existence.  It  is  entirely  possible 
that  its  name  is  contained  in  legacies  that  might  be  lost  if 
the  corporate  existence  of  the  Home  Missionary  Society 
were  discontinued. 

(5)  When  the  State  Conference  is  fully  incorporated 
and  the  two  constitutions  have  been  amended,  a  meeting 
of  the  two  bodies  should  be  called  for  the  same  time  and 
place.  The  State  Home  Missionary  Society  should  then  by 
formal  vote  transfer  all  its  work  and  vested  interests  to  the 
State  Conference,  and  the  State  Conference  should  by 
formal  vote  accept  the  work  and  funds  and  obligations  of 
the  State  Home  Missionary  Society. 

(6)  Each  year  thereafter  the  State  Conference  should 
elect  by  ballot  the  trustees  or  directors,  and  a  separate 
ballot  should  elect  the  same  persons  to  serve  as  directors 
or  trustees  for  the  same  period  of  the  Home  Missionary 
Society. 

(7)  It  is  not  necessary  that  the  moderator  of  the  con- 
ference be  also  president  of  the  Home  Missionary  Society, 
or  that  the  scribes  of  the  two  bodies  be  the  same.  In  some 
respects  it  is  better  that  these  two  sets  of  officers  be  differ- 
ent, in  order  that  there  may  be  a  plain  legal  distinction  be- 
tween the  two  bodies.  The  annual  business,  however,  can 
be  very  briefly  done.  Where  all  the  interests  are  in  har- 
mony, five  to  ten  minutes  will  suffice  for  the  separate  meet- 
ing of  the  Home  Missionary  Society  as  such,  but  such  a 
meeting  should  be  held,  and  the  record  of  it  should  be 
unmistakable,  and  each  year  a  resolution  should  be  recorded 
on  the  books  of  the  State  Home  Missionary  Society  that 
the  work  of  the  society  continue  in  the  care  of  the  State 
Conference,  and  that  all  gifts,  bequests  or  donations  to  the 
State  Home  Missionary  Society  be  collected  by,  and  used 
for  the  benefit  of,  the  work  of  the  State  Conference. 

It  is  hoped  that  these  directions  will  not  seem  compli- 
cated or  unnecessary.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  they  are  very 
simple,  but  the  form  of  the  several  motions  should  be  care- 


326         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

fully  drawn,  and  when  so  drawn  and  adopted,  may  be  re- 
newed year  by  year  without  change. 

Although  it  is  strongly  advised  that  the  annual  meeting 
be  held  as  herein  provided,  the  fundamental  resolution  and 
constitutional  changes  should  be  permanent  in  character, 
and  such  that  no  bequest  or  donation  would  be  likely  to  be 
lost  through  the  accidental  omission  of  a  formal  meeting. 

Should  Both  Organizations  Be  Kept  in  Existence?  The 
State  Home  Missionary  Society  need  never  go  legally  out 
of  existence.  It  should  not  discontinue  its  annual  meetings 
until  it  is  confident  it  has  collected  the  last  legacy  that 
would  be  likely  to  have  been  devised  to  it.  When  the  time 
comes,  as  it  may  come  in  the  course  of  twenty  or  fifty 
years,  when  it  is  deemed  unnecessary  to  continue  the  form 
of  an  annual  meeting,  a  carefully  drawn  resolution  should 
be  recorded  providing  that  thereafter  the  annual  meeting 
of  this  society  be  the  annual  meeting  of  the  State  Confer- 
ence, and  that  the  officers  of  the  State  Conference  be  also 
the  officers  of  the  Home  Missionary  Society,  and  that  all 
members  of  the  State  Conference  are  members  of  the  Home 
Missionary  Society  and  that  the  State  Conference  have  full 
right  and  authority  in  its  own  name  to  do  all  things  that 
the  State  Home  Missionary  Society  is  authorized  to  do. 

If  in  any  state  the  advice  here  given  is  deemed  unneces- 
sarily technical  and  formal,  it  should  be  disregarded,  if  at 
all,  only  on  the  advice  of  competent  legal  counsel. 

How  May  Both  Bodies  Continue  and  Work  Together? 
In  states  where  it  is  desirable  to  keep  in  full  existence  both 
the  Home  Missionary  Society  and  the  State  Conference, 
yet  to  bring  their  work  into  close  relations,  the  two  bodies 
may  be  made  identical  in  membership  though  not  neces- 
sarily identical  in  their  officers  or  governing  boards. 

They  may  hold  their  annual  meetings  at  the  same  time 
and  place,  room  being  provided  in  the  program  of  the  State 
Conference  for  the  annual  meeting  and  public  presentation 
of  the  Home  Missionary  Society. 


XIX.     THE  ASSOCIATION  ACTING  AS  COUNCIL 

May  an  Association  Act  as  a  Council?  An  important 
development  in  the  life  of  the  Congregational  churches  in 
recent  years  is  that  whereby  Associations  have  come  to 
perform  much  of  the  work  formerly  done  by  councils. 

This  does  not  mean  that  the  council  is  wholly  super- 
seded. It  still  exists  as  a  time-honored  and  in  some  cases 
an  efficient  instrument  for  the  expression  of  Congregational 
fellowship;  but  the  churches  have  larger  common  interests 
to  guard  than  formerly,  and  have  come  quite  generally  to 
feel  that  some  more  permanent  and  more  certainly  repre- 
sentative body  than  a  council  must  be  available  both  as  an 
organ  for  fellowship  and  for  the  doing  of  denominational 
work.  To  this  end  our  Associations  are  quite  generally 
changing  their  constitutions  so  as  to  provide  for  the  per- 
formance of  such  conciliary  functions  as  the  churches  may 
require  of  them.  This  change,  while  not  free  from  danger 
of  abuse,  has  been  approved  by  the  National  Council,  and 
in  general  appears  to  be  working  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
churches. 

How  May  a  Church  Invite  an  Association  to  Act  in  a 
Conciliary  Capacity?  A  church  desiring  the  Association 
to  which  it  belongs  to  act  in  ordination,  dismission,  or  other 
business  sometimes  performed  by  councils,  may  issue  a  call 
in  the  form  of  a  regular  letter  missive  addressed  to  each  of 
the  churches  in  the  Association.  The  body  convening,  how- 
ever, in  response  to  such  a  call,  will  be  strictly  a  council 
and  subject  to  all  the  rules  governing  a  council. 

Another  course  is  permissible.  The  representatives  of 
the  church  may  confer  with  the  advisory  committee  of  the 
Association  concerning  the  business  to  be  presented,  and 
determine  whether  it  is  better  that  it  be  done  at  a  regular 
or  special  meeting  of  the  Association,  and  the  business  for 
which  the  Association  is  to  act  in  a  conciliary  capacity 
may  thus  be  arranged  for  as  a  part  of  the  regular  program 
or  through  a  call  for  a  special  meeting  of  the  Association. 


328        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

When  the  Association  acts  in  a  conciliary  capacity  at 
a  special  session,  the  time  of  meeting  should  be  arranged 
in  conference  with  the  advisory  committee,  and  the  registrar 
should  send  out  due  notice  of  the  proposed  meeting. 
Churches  should  elect  delegates  as  for  a  regular  meeting. 
If  the  Association  elects  its  moderator  to  serve  until  his 
successor  is  appointed,  the  special  meeting  will  be  called  to 
order  by  the  moderator;  if  otherwise,  the  moderator  will 
be  elected  according  to  the  rules.  The  quorum  will  be  the 
regular  quorum  of  the  Association.  A  majority  of  the 
churches  invited  is  not  necessary  if  the  constitution  of  the 
Association  permits  a  smaller  quorum.  The  Association, 
being  organized,  proceeds  to  do  its  business  in  essentially 
the  same  manner  as  a  council,  and  the  ordinary  rules  both 
for  Associations  and  councils  apply. 

For  these  rules  reference  may  be  made  to  the  writer's  Congre- 
gational  Manual. 

When  an  Association  is  called  upon  to  act  in  a  conciliary 
capacity  at  its  regular  meeting,  great  care  should  be  taken 
to  prevent  the  ordinary  business  of  the  Association  from 
so  crowding  the  special  business  as  to  reduce  it  to  a  mere 
perfunctory  formality.  If  the  business  be  the  examination 
of  a  candidate  for  ordination,  sufficient  time  should  be  re- 
served for  the  examination,  and  the  public  exercise  of  ordi- 
nation should  be  performed  with  solemn  dignity.  If  the 
system  of  ordination  by  Association  falls  into  contempt,  the 
reason  is  likely  to  be  through  failure  at  this  point. 

If  a  candidate  presents  himself  for  ordination  and 
through  any  confusion  in  arrangements  no  adequate  pro- 
vision can  be  made  for  his  examination,  the  examination 
should  either  be  delegated  to  a  large  and  representative 
committee,  meeting  in  a  separate  room,  or  to  an  appro- 
priate standing  committee  of  the  Association,  and  a  public 
report  made  upon  it.  Or  the  Association  should  adjourn 
to  a  special  session  for  this  particular  purpose,  permitting 
its  program  of  addresses  to  proceed  for  the  edification  of 
the  company  assembled,  while  the  Association  gives  itself 


THE  ASSOCIATION  ACTING  AS  COUNCIL         329 

to  the  solemn  responsibility  of  examining  the  candidates. 
If  the  impression  should  become  general  that  examinations 
when  performed  by  the  Association  are  likely  to  be  so  short- 
ened by  the  program  or  the  pressure  of  business  as  to  make 
such  examinations  less  thorough  than  when  performed  by 
councils,  the  result  would  be  most  unhappy.  Or,  if  public 
programs  were  so  arranged  that  the  public  service  of  ordi- 
nation were  slighted  or  were  made  a  mere  side  issue,  the 
custom  of  ordination  by  Associations  were  more  honored 
in  the  breach  than  in  the  observance.  The  new  method  is 
theoretically  justifiable,  and  possesses  some  marked  advan- 
tages, but  it  must  be  shown  to  be  advantageous  in  practice. 
It  is  manifestly  desirable  that  ordination  be  undertaken  at 
the  request  of  the  church  of  which  the  candidate  is  a  mem- 
ber or  the  pastor  elect. 

Does  a  Minister  Ordained  by  an  Association  Become  a 
Member  of  the  Ordaining  Body?  Unless  the  Association 
provides  in  its  rules  that  a  minister  ordained  within  its 
bounds  either  by  council  or  Association  becomes  a  member, 
a  separate  vote  is  required.  But  an  Association  may  by 
rule  provide  that  while  it  will  review  the  proceedings  of 
all  councils  of  ordination,  it  will  receive  ipso  facto  as  mem- 
bers all  ministers  ordained  within  its  bounds  by  the  Asso- 
ciation itself,  without  further  examination  or  formality. 

May  an  Association  Dismiss  an  Installed  Pastor?    If  an 

Association  is  called  to  act  in  a  conciliary  capacity  in  the 
dismission  of  a  pastor,  the  procedure  is  essentially  the  same 
as  in  a  dismissing  council;  or  if  the  service  be  performed 
at  a  regularly  called  meeting  of  the  Association,  the  pro- 
ceedings may  include  not  only  the  formal  termination  of 
his  pastorate,  but  also  the  severing  of  his  relation  with  the 
Association  and  the  granting  him  of  a  credential  in  due 
form. 

For  the  rules  relating  to  the  conduct  of  Associations  acting  as 
councils  reference  is  made  to  the  author's  Congregational  Manual. 

Do   these    New   Functions   Make   the    Congregational 


330         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Association  a  Consociation?  The  churches  of  Connecticut 
developed  a  system  of  Consociations  in  which  the  Conso- 
ciation was  essentially  a  standing  council.  The  newer  sys- 
tem of  more  compactly  organized  Associations  possesses 
some  features  in  common  with  the  old-time  Consociation, 
but  the  two  are  not  entirely  identical.  The  newer  form  of 
Association  ought  to  be  so  administered  as  to  possess  the 
advantages  of  the  Consociation  without  its  disadvantages. 
Whether  this  result  is  attained  will  depend  less  upon  the 
greater  excellence  of  the  machinery  than  the  conscientious 
care  by  which  it  is  operated. 


XX.     ECCLESIASTICAL  DISCIPLINE 

Has  a  Church  a  Right  to  Discipline  One  of  Its  Own 
Members?  Every  church  has  a  right  to  discipHne  its  own 
members  for  violation  of  any  of  its  rules  or  obligations. 
This  discipline  may  take  the  form  of  private  or  public  ad- 
monition, censure,  suspense,  or  excommunication. 

Discipline.  In  dealing  with  an  offender,  great  care  is  to  be 
taken  that  we  be  neither  over  strict  or  rigorous,  nor  too  indulgent 
or  remiss:  our  proceeding  herein  ought  to  be  with  a  spirit  of 
meekness,  considering  ourselves,  lest  we  also  be  tempted;  and 
that  the  best  of  us  have  need  of  much  forgiveness  from  the  Lord. — 
Cambridge  Platform,  xiv,  4. 

Has  a  Church  a  Right  to  Discipline  a  Non-Member?  A 
local  church  has  authority  only  over  its  own  members,  but 
s  church  may  bear  its  testimony  against  any  form  of  evil 
or  any  person  who  is  doing  evil.  A  local  church  may  pass 
a  vote  of  censure  upon  a  public  official  of  the  community 
for  failure  to  perform  his  duties.  It  may  bear  its  testimony 
against  any  current  form  of  error.  It  may  withdraw  fellow- 
ship from  a  sister  church  or  from  a  minister.  Any  such 
act,  however,  bearing  upon  persons  not  of  its  own  member- 
ship should  be  performed  with  prudence  and  discretion. 
The  occasion  should  be  such  as  manifestly  to  call  for  such 
action,  and  the  vote  or  resolution  should  be  free  from  all 
abusive  or  libelous  matter. 

Has  a  Church  a  Right  to  Discipline  Its  Minister?  To 
this  question  historic  Congregationalism  gave  a  simple  and 
unqualified  answer,  namely,  that  the  minister  is  a  member 
of  the  church  and  subject  to  its  discipline  like  any  other 
member.  An  answer  somewhat  less  simple  must  now  be 
given. 

(i)  A  local  church  has  a  right  to  discipline  its  minister 
as  a  member  of  the  church  for  any  act  for  which  it  could 
discipline  another  member, 

A  local  church  has  also  a  right  to  discipline  its  minister 


332        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

for  any  undisputed  act  of  unfaithfulness  in  the  performance 
of  his  pastoral  duty  toward  that  particular  church. 

(2)  But  the  right  of  a  church  to  discipline  its  minister 
for  failure  in  his  duty  as  pastor  belongs  to  the  church  only 
when  the  fact  of  such  failure  is  undisputed.  If  the  church 
charge  the  minister  with  unfaithfulness,  and  the  minister 
denies  his  unfaithfulness,  the  church  cannot  be  both  prose- 
cutor and  judge.  The  question  of  the  minister's  fidelity  in 
his  contractual  relations  must  be  adjudicated  before  an 
impartial  body. 

(3)  A  church  may  discipline  its  minister  for  holding 
and  teaching  doctrines  contrary  to  its  own  confession  of 
faith.  But  no  charge  against  a  minister  on  this  score  will 
lie  if  it  can  be  shown  that  the  church  knew  when  he  became 
its  pastor  that  he  did  not  accept  its  confession  of  faith,  and 
that  it  called  him  notwithstanding  this  knowledge. 

(4)  A  church  cannot  discipline  its  minister  for  failure 
to  accept  any  other  creed  than  its  own.  If  he  holds  and 
teaches  the  creed  of  the  local  church,  but  fails  to  hold  and 
teach  some  other  creed  which  the  majority  of  the  church 
believe  to  be  orthodox,  it  cannot  call  him  to  account  for  his 
failure  to  conform  to  this  extra  interpretation  of  orthodoxy. 

(5)  A  local  church  cannot  discipline  its  minister  in  any 
matter  touching  his  ministerial  standing.  This  is  a  new 
but  entirely  valid  principle.  It  follows  logically  from  the 
resolution  of  the  National  Council  in  1886,  concerning  min- 
isterial standing,  and  the  general  acceptance  by  the  churches 
since  of  the  principle  that  ministerial  standing  resides  in 
the  District  Association.  Only  within  the  special  sphere  of 
his  relations  to  the  local  church  of  which  he  is  a  member 
and  pastor  can  the  local  church  bring  a  minister  to  trial 
before  itself.  If  it  believes  him  guilty  of  heresy  as  judged 
by  the  general  standards  of  the  denomination,  or  of  conduct 
unbecoming  a  minister  but  not  within  the  sphere  of  his 
particular  relation  to  his  own  church,  it  must  proceed 
against  him  through  the  Association  of  which  he  is  a 
member. 


ECCLESIASTICAL  DISCIPLINE  333 

The  action  of  the  National  Council  in  191 5  on  the  Sus- 
pension and  Deposition  of  Ministers  completely  answers 
many  questions  of  this  character. 

How  Should  a  Church  Trial  Be  Conducted?  If  a  mem- 
ber of  a  local  church  has  violated  his  covenant  he  should 
be  dealt  with  according  to  the  nature  and  gravity  of  the 
offense.  Where  the  offense  is  private,  it  should  be  dealt 
with  privately,  and  made  public  only  as  a  last  resort.  If 
he  has  sinned  against  another  member  of  the  church,  the 
member  whom  he  has  wronged  should  go  to  him  personally 
and  in  a  spirit  of  Christian  affection.  If  he  will  not  repent, 
he  should  be  visited  again;  this  time  with  two  or  three 
brethren  of  the  church,  preferably  some  of  its  officers. 
These  should  labor  with  him  affectionately  and  earnestly. 
If  he  remains  obdurate  the  matter  may  be  brought  before 
the  church. 

If  the  fault  be  of  a  greater  magnitude  and  of  a  public 
nature,  any  member  may,  and  the  officers  of  the  church 
should,  take  reasonably  prompt  and  effective  action.  He 
should  first  be  visited  and  an  effort  made  to  secure  his 
repentance,  and  if  he  will  not  repent  he  should  be  brought 
before  the  church  on  formal  charges. 

Any  member  of  the  church  who  is  cited  for  trial  should 
be  furnished  with  a  copy  of  the  charges  in  writing,  and 
also  with  the  names  of  his  accusers,  and  a  date  should  be 
set  for  the  hearing  of  his  case.  If  he  fails  to  appear  or  to 
send  any  answer,  the  church  may  proceed  against  him  in 
his  absence.  If  a  formal  trial  is  to  be  held,  some  member 
of  the  church  should  be  appointed  to  represent  him.  Where 
the  offense  is  of  a  public  nature  and  the  person  accused 
fails  to  appear  or  answer,  the  church  will  be  justified  in  a 
vote  to  suspend  him  for  thirty  days,  or  some  other  definite 
period,  at  the  end  of  which  time  notice  having  been  given 
him  and  he  still  failing  to  appear,  fellowship  may  be  with- 
drawn from  him. 

If  the  accused  person  appear  and  confess  his  fault,  he 
should  be  forgiven,  but  he  may  be  admonished  or  even  sus- 


334         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

pended,  notwithstanding  his  confession,  until  he  shall  have 
proved  the  sincerity  of  his  repentance.  Churches,  however, 
almost  invariably  deem  it  wise,  as  well  as  Christian,  to 
offer  free  forgiveness  to  a  member  who  confesses  his  fault, 
unless  there  is  reason  to  fear  that  the  confession  has  been 
made  from  unworthy  motives,  or  that  the  act  of  forgiveness 
might  appear  to  condone  the  wrong  and  possibly  influence 
action  in  the  civil  courts  or  elsewhere. 

Where  a  member  confesses  his  fault,  the  church  may 
still  at  its  discretion  hear  the  evidence,  if  it  deem  it  wise 
to  do  so.  In  some  cases  the  hearing  of  the  evidence  will 
make  it  apparent  that  the  offender  has  made  haste  to  con- 
fess only  a  portion  of  his  wrong-doing.  In  others,  it  will 
appear  that  in  his  remorse  he  has  censured  himself  beyond 
what  is  just.  The  right  to  hear  such  evidence,  however,  is 
rarely  the  custom,  the  fact  of  repentance,  when  in  apparent 
good  faith,  being  commonly  a  ground  of  forgiveness.  The 
purpose  of  church  discipline  is  not  punishment  but  restora- 
tion. 

Duty  of  the  Church  to  Guilty  Member.  Should  the  accused  per- 
son be  found  guilty  of  the  fault  laid  to  his  charge,  it  becomes  the 
duty  of  the  church  solemnly  to  admonish  him  of  his  sin,  and  the 
absolute  necessity  of  atoning  for  it,  by  making  proper  reparation, 
with  the  spirit  of  the  gospel. — Dwight:  Sermon,  clxii. 

Is  Professional  Counsel  Permitted  in  a  Church  Trial? 
Where  a  formal  church  trial  becomes  necessary,  a  member 
should  be  appointed  to  present  the  charges  and  one  may  be 
appointed  to  defend  the  accused.  The  church  may,  or  may 
not,  admit  outside  counsel.  It  has  a  right  to  insist  that  the 
accused  choose  his  counsel  from  the  membership  of  the 
church.  If,  however,  he  allege  that  no  member  of  the 
church  is  competent  or  willing  to  defend  him,  he  may  be 
permitted  to  appear  with  other  counsel.  He  must  not,  how- 
ever, abuse  this  liberty  by  the  introduction  of  court  techni- 
calities into  the  conduct  of  church  cases. 

Should  a  Church  Trial  Be  Conducted  as  in  a  Court  of 
Law?  Church  trials,  when  unhappily  they  must  be  held, 
should  be  conducted  with  simplicity,  fairness,  and  quiet  dig- 


ECCLESIASTICAL  DISCIPLINE  335 

nity,  with  due  regard  for  reasonable  forms  of  law  and  evi- 
dence, but  without  attempt  to  imitate  the  technicalities  of 
the  civil  courts. 

Must  the  Whole  Church  Try  ^n  Offender?  Church 
trials  may  be  conducted  by  the  entire  church,  or  by  a  com- 
mission chosen  by  the  church,  or  by  a  board  of  arbitration 
selected  by  the  church  and  the  accused.  It  is  manifestly 
unwise  that  every  church  trial  should  be  conducted  before 
the  whole  congregation.  The  church  membership  includes 
young  children,  and  it  would  be  a  gross  impropriety  even 
to  set  forth  in  their  presence,  much  less  to  make  them 
judges  of,  a  case  of  flagrant  immorality.  In  most  cases  of 
this  character  it  is  better  that  the  trial  be  by  a  commission, 
or  a  board  of  arbitration,  the  final  vote  to  be  by  the  whole 
body  of  adult  members  of  the  church. 

May  a  Member  Be  Granted  a  Letter  While  Under 
Charges?  Ordinarily  not.  No  member  on  trial  is  entitled 
to  escape  the  just  condemnation  of  his  deeds  by  withdraw- 
ing from  the  church  under  charges.  Yet  there  occur 
situations  in  which  charges  growing  out  of  the  violent  dis- 
agreement of  two  members  increase  in  bitterness  to  a  point 
at  which  the  church  threatens  to  be  rent  in  twain,  and 
where  the  situation  can  be  clarified  by  a  mutual  agreement 
that  one  of  the  members,  being  otherwise  worthy  of  com- 
mendation, shall  remove  to  another  church,  the  charges 
against  him  being  withdrawn  in  the  process.  Such  a  mem- 
ber, it  will  be  noted,  does  not  really  withdraw  while  under 
charges. 

May  a  Member  Be  Dropped  While  Under  Charges? 
A  member  may  not  be  dropped  from  the  church  roll  while 
charges  are  pending  against  him,  nor  while  he  is  presenting 
charges  against  another  member. 

Dropping  Names  from  the  Church  Roll.  Nor  should  a  member 
be  dropped  while  charges  against  him  are  pending.  If  a  man  be 
under  charges,  the  case  should  go  to  trial,  that  the  man  may  be 
acquitted  or  condemned.  To  drop  his  name,  even  at  his  own 
request,  under  charges,  would  be  the  perversion  of  discipline.  If 
a  man  prefer  charges  against  a  church  member  or  the  pastor,  the 
matter  cannot  be  evaded  by  dropping  the  complainant,  either  with 


336        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

or  without  censure,  until  such  charges  have  been  properly  disposed 
of.  It  were  abhorrent  thus  to  punish  a  man  for  beginning  process 
of  discipline;  and  the  dropping  of  his  name  under  such  circum- 
stances would  properly  be  held  to  be  a  confession  of  guilt  or  of 
fear  of  conviction  on  the  part  of  those  doing  it  or  permitting  it 
to  be  done.  If  charges  are  preferred  against  a  man  or  officer 
through  spite  or  persecution,  the  motive  should  be  exposed  in  the 
trial  and  the  false  accuser  of  the  brethren  should  be  punished  by 
proper  church  action.  But  absent  members  may  sometimes  be 
dropped  from  the  roll.  Such  members  should  be  hunted  up  and 
labored  with,  and  so  induced  to  take  letters;  but  if  they  will  not 
join  another  church,  they  should  be  dealt  with  severally  as  they 
deserve;  if  they  desire  to  retain  the  old  connection,  let  it  be  re- 
tained under  such  conditions  as  the  church  may  deem  best  to 
impose;  if  they  are  indifferent  or  repellent,  let  their  names  be 
dropped  with  or  without  censure  as  the  church  may  deem  best.  But 
unconverted  members  who  have  joined  the  church  under  a  mis- 
take, and  perhaps  under  moral  pressure,  whose  lives  are  free  from 
scandal,  may,  if  they  desire  it,  be  dropped  without  censure.  To 
excommunicate  such,  with  all  the  dishonor  attaching  thereto,  were 
unjust  and  cruel.  It  damages  the  discipline  of  a  church  by  putting 
no  difference  between  a  mistake  and  a  sin. — Ross:  Church-Kingdom, 
pp.  258-259. 

May  a  Member  Be  Tried  in  His  Absence?  In  some 
cases  it  is  necessary  that  an  accused  member  be  tried  in 
his  absence.  If  the  member  accused  has  been  guilty  of  a 
criminal  offense,  and  is  in  prison,  he  may  be  represented 
at  his  trial  by  his  next  friend;  but  in  every  such  case  the 
accused  should  be  served  notice  of  the  proposed  action  and 
permitted  to  choose  the  friend  who  shall  represent  him. 
Notice  having  been  given,  at  a  regular  meeting  of  the 
church,  of  the  charges  against  him  and  of  the  subsequent 
time  at  w^hich  a  vote  will  be  taken,  he  may  be  expelled  from 
the  membership  of  the  church,  if  no  objection  is  raised  by 
any  member. 

In  case  the  accused  person  is  not  in  prison,  but  has  left 
for  parts  unknown,  a  letter  mailed  to  his  last  known  place 
of  address  may  be  held  to  be  a  sufficient  notice  of  the  action 
to  be  taken  against  him.  In  such  cases,  however,  the  vote 
of  suspension  or  expulsion  having  been  moved  and  sec- 
onded, should  commonly  be  laid  upon  the  table  for  one  or 
more  weeks  before  final  action.  It  is  usually  desirable  that 
notices  sent  by  mail  be  registered. 


ECCLESIASTICAL   DISCIPLINE  337 

Excommunication  in  the  Absence  of  the  Offender.  Thus  the 
church  excluded  Mr.  Eaton,  first  teacher  of  the  school  in  Cam- 
bridge (Winthrop's  Journal,  i,  313).  If  it  be  asked,  How  is  this 
consistent  with  the  rule  in  Matt.  18?  it  is  answered,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  one  of  the  old  Puritan  writers,  "Whatever  is  the  dictate 
of  the  law  of  nature  is  the  law  of  God."  Otherwise,  the  delinquent 
might  claim  to  be  in  good  standing  in  the  church,  so  long  as  he 
kept  out  of  the  way. — Cummings:    Cong.  Diet. 

Should  a  Member  Guilty  of  Crime  Remain  a  Member? 

Perplexing  questions  sometimes  arise  in  cases  of  members 
prominent  in  church  work  who  have  been  overtaken  in  a 
fault  and  sentenced  to  imprisonment.  Pathetic  appeals  are 
sometimes  made  that  the  names  of  these  persons  be  retained 
on  the  church  roll.  In  case  the  church  is  fully  assured  of 
the  penitence  of  such  a  member,  it  may  esteem  it  its  duty 
to  retain  his  name  upon  the  roll  and  extend  him  a  helping 
hand  at  the  expiration  of  his  prison  term ;  but  a  church 
taking  such  action  will  need  to  observe  extreme  caution 
lest  its  sympathy  with  an  offender  cause  it  to  forget  its 
duty  to  bear  an  uncompromising  testimony  against  the 
wrong  which  he  has  committed. 

It  often  occurs  that  discipline  is  most  difficult  and  com- 
plicated in  the  very  cases  whose  grossness  and  wide  pub- 
licity leave  no  doubt  what  should  be  done,  but  nevertheless 
make  ordinary  procedure  next  to  impossible.  In  such  in- 
stances Dr.   Dexter  wisely  said : 

Public  Ofifenses.  As  where  a  church  member  should  commit 
robbery  or  murder,  or  leave  his  own  wife  and  marry  another.  Here, 
as  in  all  other  cases,  what  the  gospel  seeks,  if  possible,  is  the  re- 
formation of  the  offender,  on  the  one  hand,  as  really  as  the  vindica- 
tion of  the  honor  of  the  church  on  the  other.  Hence,  while  in  such 
cases  of  flagrant  and  public  misdemeanor  and  dishonor,  it  may  be 
suitable  to  pass  at  once  a  vote  suspending  such  an  oflfender  from 
church  privilege  until  his  case  can  be  investigated,  all  private  pre- 
liminary steps  should  be  taken  before  the  actual  trial;  whose  re- 
sult must,  unless  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  interpose  with  a  remarkable 
work  of  grace,  and  in  his  ignominious  expulsion  from  all  church 
privilege. — Dexter:  Handbook,  p.  107. 

No  Excommunication  in  Another  Church.  For  although  we 
may  advise,  exhort,  warn,  reprove,  etc.,  so  far  as  Christian  love 
and  power  extend,  yet  we  find  no  authority  committed  to  one  con- 
gregation over  another  for  excommunicating.  .  .  .  Christ  rc- 
serveth  this  power  in  his  own  hands. — Ainsworth:  Communion  of 
Saints,  in  Han.  i,  285. 


338         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

For  What  Offenses  May  a  Church  Try  a  Minister?    A 

minister  may  be  tried  for  any  offense  of  which  any  member 
of  the  church  could  be  tried,  but  in  his  capacity  as  a  min- 
ister and  as  a  pastor  the  grounds  of  action  against  him  may 
be  any  one  of  three. 

_  (i)  Gross  Immorality.  This  does  not  mean  any  small 
act  of  wrong-doing,  but  some  serious  departure  from  ethi- 
cal standards  inconsistent  with  his  continued  usefulness  as 
a  minister. 

(2)  Neglect  of  Pastoral  Duty.  This,  too,  must  be  a  seri- 
ous neglect,  one  that  materially  diminishes  his  usefulness 
as  a  minister,  either  in  failure  to  study,  attention  to  pas- 
toral service,  or  such  prejudice  or  infirmity  of  temper  as 
unfits  him  for  reasonable  efficiency. 

(3)  Essential  Change  in  Belief.  This  does  not  mean  that 
the  minister  has  no  right  to  grow,  but  that  he  is  guilty  of 
such  an  essential  modification  of  his  doctrinal  views  as  to 
disqualify  him  for  the  performance  of  his  best  work  as 
pastor  and  teacher  of  his  people. 

Can  a  Local  Church  Expel  a  Minister?  A  local  church 
can  expel  a  minister  from  its  own  pastorate,  but  that  neither 
terminates  nor  impairs  his  ministerial  standing.  It  can  ex- 
pel him  from  its  membership,  and  that  act  will  impair  but 
will  not  terminate  his  ministerial  standing.  Although  with- 
out local  church  membership  he  cannot  qualify  as  a  minister 
in  full  standing  or  exercise  the  legal  or  spiritual  functions 
of  a  minister  until  his  disability  is  removed,  the  act  of  his 
expulsion  from  the  local  church  can  do  no  more  than  sus- 
pend his  ministerial  prerogatives  and  impair  his  standing 
Otherwise  a  local  church  might  in  an  outburst  of  prejudic* 
against  its  pastor  depose  him  entirely  from  the  ministry 
This  it  cannot  do,  but  it  can  disqualify  him  from  exercising 
his  office  until  his  disability  is  removed.  This  can  be  done 
by  his  securing  membership  in  another  Congregational 
church. 

Any  church  expelling  its  minister  from  its  membership 
would  have  a  further  duty,  namely,  that  of  bringing  charges 


ECCLESIASTICAL   DISCIPLINE 339 

against  him  before  the  Association  or  before  a  council  called 
for  the  purpose  in  order  to  terminate  wholly  his  ministerial 
standing. 

No  church  should  receive  into  its  membership  a  minister 
who  has  been  so  expelled  until  there  has  been  opportunity 
for  the  expelling  church  to  formulate  charges  against  him 
before  the  Association  or  the  council,  and  the  receiving  of 
such  a  minister  by  another  church  under  those  conditions 
would  be  an  unfriendly  and  unbecoming  act. 

If,  however,  a  minister  should  be  expelled  from  mem- 
bership in  a  local  church,  and  that  church  should  decline  or 
unreasonably  delay  to  bring  further  charges  against  him 
with  apparent  intent  maliciously  to  injure  his  ministerial 
standing,  a  sister  church  convinced  that  an  injustice  was 
being  done  him  might  receive  him  into  its  membership,  but 
should  first  appeal  to  the  former  church  either  to  restore 
him  or  to  submit  the  case  to  trial. 

Ministerial  Standing  and  the  Year  Book.  This  Year  Book  list 
does  not  affirm  the  good  standing  of  all  who  are  upon  it.  It  is 
made  up  of  the  names  sent  in  by  the  registrars  of  state  or  local 
ecclesiastical  bodies,  or,  in  some  states,  of  ministerial  associations. 
It  is  only  presumptive  evidence  as  to  the  standing  and  character 
of  those  whose  names  are  included. — Boynton:  Congregational  Way, 
p.  87. 

Ministerial  Standing  Not  in  Local  Church.  Ministerial  standing 
cannot  be  held  in  local  churches.  If  the  ministerial  function  were 
confined  to  the  pastoral  relation,  and  a  man  ceased  to  be  a  minister 
the  moment  he  ceased  to  be  pastor, — which  some  have  held  to 
be  "the  necessary  verdict  of  the  principles  of  Congregationalism" 
(Congregationalism,  Dr.  H.  M.  Dexter,  150) — then  ministerial 
standing  would  be  held  in  local  churches,  since  a  vote  to  remove 
a  pastor  from  office  would  be  his  deposition  from  the  ministry; 
and  besides,  he,  while  pastor  of  one  church,  would  be  a  layman 
everywhere  beyond  that  church.  But  this  theory  of  the  ministry 
was  not  embraced  by  the  English  or  other  Congregationalists,  and 
soon  ceased  to  be  held  in  New  England  (Mather's  Magnalia,  ii, 
239).  In  answer  to  the  seventh  point  raised  by  the  ministers  of 
Old  England,  the  ministers  of  New  England,  about  1638,  held  that 
a  church  might  depose  from  his  office  an  unfit  or  unworthy  pastor; 
but  if  one  should  be  set  aside  without  sufficient  cause,  he  would 
still  remain  a  minister  of  Christ  (Felt's  Eccl.  Hist.,  i,  368).  This 
answer  rests  on  the  fact  of  a  ministerial  function  wider  than  the 
pastorate,  to  which  Christ  calls  men. — Ross:  Church-Kingdom,  p. 
157. 


340        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

Associational  Membership  a  Necessity.  In  the  decline  of  in- 
stallation, ministerial  standing  has  passed  over  to  the  Associations 
of  churches.  We  have  reached  such  proportions  that  vi^e  can  secure 
good  order  in  no  less  methodical  way. — Nash:  Cong.  Administra- 
tion, pp.  89-90. 

The  utter  failure  of  the  older  method  in  cases  of  minis- 
terial discipline  could  have  no  better  illustration  than  in 
Dr.  Ladd's  great  book,  in  which,  after  showing  how  a  local 
church  might  deal  with  an  installed  pastor,  and  possibly, 
by  a  stretch  of  local  autonomy,  with  an  acting  pastor,  he 
faced  finally  the  crux  of  the  question  of  a  minister's  relation 
to  the  churches  apart  from  his  responsibility  to  a  local 
church,  and  in  his  answer  put  his  entire  system  into  invol- 
untary bankruptcy. 

If  the  further  question  be  asked,  What  shall  be  done  for  the 
ministerial  purity  of  notably  impure  and  heretical  men  who  are 
neither  pastors  of  churches  nor  acknowledged  members  of  any 
ministerial  body?  the  question  itself  must  be  declared  to  be  on  the 
very  verge  of  absurdity.  The  churches  that  wittingly  hear  them 
may  be  admonished,  so  that  these  blind  leaders  shall  not  be  leaders 
of  the  blind.  But,  as  for  the  men  themselves,  the  purity  of  the 
ministry  is  best  preserved  by  letting  them  alone,  that  alone  they 
may  fall  into  their  ditch.  From  this  ditch  the  memory  of  a  former 
ordination  will  not  preserve  them;  and,  when  they  are  once  con- 
sciously there,  a  helping  hand  may  best  be  extended  to  them  for 
the  restoration,  not,  in  any  case,  of  their  ministerial  standing,  but 
of  their  characters,  and  for  the  saving  of  their  souls. — Principles 
of  Church  Polity,  p.  252. 

May  a  Church  Bring  Action  Against  a  Minister  Who  Is 
Not  Its  Own  Pastor  or  One  of  Its  Members?  The  only 
sensible  answer  is  in  the  negative.  There  have  been,  how- 
ever, suggestions  of  a  contrary  answer.  One  of  them  is 
held,  though  probably  incorrectly,  to  have  been  given  by  the 
National  Council,  at  St.  Louis,  in  i88o: 

Resolved  (3),  That  the  body  of  churches  in  any  locality  have 
the  inalienable  right  of  extending  ministerial  fellowship  to,  or 
withholding  fellowship  from,  any  person  within  their  bounds,  no 
matter  what  his  relation  may  be  in  church  membership  or  ecclesi- 
astical affiliations,  the  proceedings  to  be  commenced  by  any 
church,  and  to  be  conducted  with  due  regard  to  equity. — Minutes 
of  1880,  p.  17. 

Of  the  wisdom  of  this  resolution  in  its  probable  intent, 
and  the  vast  unwisdom  of  its  possible  application  to  the 


ECCLESIASTICAL   DISCIPLINE  341 

trial  of  a  minister  by  a  church  of  which  he  is  not  a  member, 
Dr.  Ross  wisely  said: 

The  method  of  putting  this  inalienable  right  into  operation  for 
clearing  the  churches  of  unworthy  ministers  is  manifestly  sepa- 
rable from  the  right  itself.  The  right  may  be  exercised  in  one  way 
at  one  time  and  place,  and  in  another  way  at  another  time  and 
place.  The  right  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  method  of 
exercising  it.  The  method  indicated  in  the  resolutions  is  through 
a  council  called  for  the  purpose,  the  proceedings  to  be  commenced 
by  any  church.  This  method  is  so  defective  as  to  render  the  right 
which  is  inalienable  practically  inoperative,  (a)  A  church  may 
possibly,  in  rare  instances,  deal  with  its  own  pastor  in  discipline, 
but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  it  will  never  begin  proceedings  against 
the  pastor  of  a  neighboring  church.  If  asked  to  do  this,  it  will 
demur,  (b)  No  better  device  for  stirring  up  strife  between  two 
churches  was  ever  imagined  than  the  one  given  in  these  resolutions 
of  the  National  Council,  making  it  the  duty  of  one  church  to  begin 
proceedings  against  the  pastor  of  a  sister  church,  (c)  A  similar 
process  for^  dealing  with  a  wayward  church  [Plymouth  Church, 
Brooklyn],  instead  of  its  pastor,  has  been  tried  a  few  times,  stirring 
up  the  bitterest  animosity,  and  utterly  failing  of  good  results. — 
Church-Kingdom,  pp.  285-286. 

For  What  Offenses  May  an  Association  Try  a  Minister? 

An  Association  may  try  a  ministerial  member  for  conduct 
unbecoming  a  minister,  for  disturbing  the  peace  of  the 
churches,  or  for  heresy.  If  found  guilty,  he  may  be  admon- 
ished, rebuked,  suspended,  or  deposed  from  the  ministry. 
He  may  be  suspended  with  the  provision  that  unless  he 
shows  repentance  within  a  year,  or  at  the  end  of  some  speci- 
fied period,  his  name  shall  be  dropped  from  the  roll  without 
further  trial. 

May  an  Association  Try  a  Minister  Who  Is  Not  a  Mem- 
ber? The  responsibility  of  an  Association  for  ministerial 
standing  extends  only  to  its  own  members.  But  either  a 
district  or  state  body  may  issue  a  protest  to  another  Dis- 
trict Association  with  reference  to  an  unworthy  act,  affect- 
ing its  own  interests  or  the  interests  of  the  church  at  large, 
by  a  ministerial  member  of  the  Association  to  which  the 
protest  is  issued.    The  following  may  serve  as  an  example : 

The  pastor  of  a  church  in  St.  Louis  went  upon  the  lec- 
ture platform  delivering  addresses  against  the  work  of  the 
Anti-Saloon  League,  and  in  this  capacity  entered  another 


342        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

state  where  an  election  was  approaching,  in  which  the 
churches  generally  were  actively  supporting  the  anti-saloon 
movement.  It  was  charged  that  he  was  in  the  pay  of  the 
saloon  interests,  but  this  was  not  proved  or  necessary  to  be 
proved.  Had  he  delivered  these  addresses  in  his  own  church 
and  that  church  been  satisfied,  no  Association  in  another 
state  could  properly  have  protested.  But  the  case  was 
wholly  altered  when  he  invaded  other  parishes  under  con- 
ditions such  as  have  been  described,  and  his  act  brought  an 
inevitable  and  entirely  proper  protest  from  an  Association 
in  the  sister  state.  It  could  not,  of  course,  bring  him  to 
trial,  but  could  and  did  protest  against  his  unbrotherly  act, 
and  ask  for  an  investigation  and  action  by  his  own  Associa- 
tion. 

Authority  of  an  Association  Over  Its  Own  Members.  Neither 
a  state  nor  local  body  has  authority  over  a  minister  or  church  not 
a  member  of  it  by  his  or  its  own  voluntary  act.  If  it  deems  that 
it  is  necessary  to  proceed  against  a  church  or  minister  in  this 
position,  it  should  communicate  with  the  body  in  which  the  mem- 
bership inheres.  It  may  of  course  decline  to  receive  any  applicant 
to  its  fellowship,  being  responsible  for  such  action  to  the  body 
whose  letter  of  dismission  and  commendation  is  thus  discredited. — 
Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p.  127, 

May  a  Minister  Be  Tried  by  a  Commission?  An  Asso- 
ciation may  appoint  a  commission  to  investigate  charges 
against  a  minister,  but  the  decision  of  the  commission  should 
be  affirmed  by  the  Association,  and  it  must  be  affirmed  in 
order  to  be  valid  unless  the  minister  himself  consents  in 
advance  to  be  tried  by  the  commission,  or  subsequently  sub- 
mits to  its  judgment. 

Can  an  Association  Expel  a  Pastor?  An  Association 
cannot  expel  a  pastor  from  his  pastorate  against  the  will  of 
the  church  of  which  he  is  a  member  and  pastor.  The  local 
Congregational  church  has  the  indisputable  right  to  call  as 
its  minister  a  man  who  is  not  approved  by  the  Association, 
but  a  minister  so  called  or  so  retained  has  no  standing  as  a 
minister  outside  of  that  particular  local  church.  His  name 
would  appear  in  the  Year  Book,  if  at  all,  as  that  of  a  lay- 
man  supplying  a  church.     Marriages   performed  by   him 


ECCLESIASTICAL   DISCIPLINE 343 

would  not  be  legal.  A  council  would  be  compelled  to  re- 
ceive him  if  he  came  as  a  delegate  from  the  church,  but  not 
as  pastor,  nor  could  the  church  claim  the  right  to  send  a 
lay  delegate  in  addition.  The  local  church  might  authorize 
him  to  administer  the  sacraments  within  that  church,  and 
the  sacraments  thus  administered  would  be  valid,  but  his 
ministerial  standing  would  be  impaired  and  could  only  be 
restored  by  the  rescinding  of  the  act  of  the  Association 
which  had  impaired  his  standing.  On  the  termination  of 
said  pastorate  whatever  of  ministerial  character  he  might 
have  had  as  pastor  of  that  church  would  wholly  and  finally 
cease. 

Does  Deposition  from  the  Ministry  Destroy  Church 
Membership?  Deposition  from  the  ministry  does  not  carry 
with  it  by  the  same  act  excommunication  from  the  local 
church.  The  local  church  cannot  confer  ministerial  stand- 
ing, neither  can  it  destroy  it.  The  Association  cannot  con- 
fer local  church  membership,  neither  can  it  destroy  it.  A 
minister  may  be  deposed  from  the  ministry  and  still  be 
worthy  to  be  retained  in  church  membership,  or  if  un- 
worthy of  ministerial  standing  he  may  still  be  retained  in 
church  fellowship  in  the  hope  of  his  future  repentance. 

By  Whom  May  a  Minister  Be  Restored  to  Fellowship? 
A  minister  from  whom  fellowship  has  been  withdrawn  can 
be  restored  to  local  church  fellowship  by  securing  mem- 
bership in  a  local  church,  and  can  complete  his  ministerial 
standing  by  securing  fellowship  in  an  Association.  In  such 
a  case  the  acts  of  restoration  should  ordinarily  be  by  the 
identical  body  that  accomplished  his  deposition. 

What  Is  the  Process  of  Trial  of  a  Minister?  First — Com- 
plaint must  be  made  against  him  by  some  reputable  person, 
who  should  be  a  member  in  good  standing  of  some  church. 
The  advisory  committee  or  other  appropriate  standing  com- 
mittee of  the  District  Association  may  itself  bring  the  com- 
plaint, on  direct  evidence,  or  it  may  prefer  charges  on  the 
ground  of  common  fame ;  or,  if  he  has  been  convicted  of  a 
crime  by  any  court  of  record,  that  fact  is  a  sufficient  basis 


344        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

for  an  immediate  action  which  should  be  brought  in  the 
name  of  the  officers  of  the  Association. 

Second — He  should  be  served  with  a  notice  of  the 
charges  against  him,  and  the  time  and  place  when  his  case 
will  be  tried.  In  case  his  address  is  unknown,  notice  should 
be  given  him  by  registered  mail  at  his  last  known  address 
as  given  in  the  Congregational  Year  Book. 

Third — A  minister  is  entitled  to  counsel,  or  he  may  plead 
his  own  case.  He  may  introduce  professional  counsel,  if  he 
desires,  but  the  Association  may,  and  usually  should,  insist 
that  the  attorney  representing  him  should  be  a  member  in 
good  standing  of  some  Congregational  church. 

Fourth — In  the  hearing  of  evidence,  the  ordinary  rules  of 
courts  and  deliberative  bodies  are  to  be  followed  without, 
however,  insisting  upon  the  technicalities  of  court  proce- 
dure. A  much  wider  range  of  evidence  may  be  considered 
than  would  be  admitted  in  civil  courts.  Ecclesiastical  courts 
have  no  power  to  compel  witnesses,  and  must  secure  such 
testimony  as  is  available.  Such  courts  are  justified  in  giv- 
ing considerably  greater  weight  to  appearances  than  in  civil 
courts.  In  general,  they  must  assume  that  acts,  particu- 
larly when  often  repeated,  mean  what  they  seem  to  mean. 
Church  courts  cannot  go  behind  closed  doors,  but  may 
briefly  consider  the  apparent  reason  why  the  doors  were 
closed,  or  may  challenge  the  right  of  the  accused  to  screen 
himself  behind  them.  In  general,  a  minister's  frequent  visi- 
tation of  a  questionable  place  under  circumstances  and  with 
apparent  motives  naturally  exciting  suspicion  or  indicating 
a  wrong  intent,  must,  in  the  absence  of  strong  contrary  evi- 
dence, be  conceded  as  establishing  a  presumption  of  the 
form  and  kind  of  conduct  which  the  nature  of  the  place 
appears  to  indicate. 

On  the  other  hand,  a  minister  must  be  entitled  to  every 
reasonable  presumption  in  favor  of  his  innocence.  Where 
his  previous  record  has  been  good,  and  especially  if  those 
who  are  accusing  him  appear  to  be  actuated  by  any  motive 
of  malice  or  revenge,  or  if  there  be  an  appearance  of  a  con- 


ECCLESIASTICAL   DISCIPLINE  345 

spiracy  for  blackmail,  or  of  an  attempt  to  injure  him  in  the 
interests  of  evil  men  whose  enmity  he  has  earned  by  fidelity 
to  duty,  a  church  court  may  very  properly  insist  upon  the 
very  strongest  evidence  before  consentmg  to  destroy  the 
reputation  and  usefulness  of  a  man  who  may  be  falsely 
accused. 

May  a  Church  Court  Censure  a  False  Accuser?  A  church 
court  may  censure  a  false  accuser,  and  it  sometimes  has  a 
solemn  duty  so  to  do.  In  civil  courts  only  the  accused  is 
on  trial,  but  in  ecclesiastical  courts,  in  a  very  important 
sense,  the  accuser  also  stands  before  the  bar.  If  he  is  not 
a  member  of  the  body  before  which  he  prefers  the  charges, 
the  only  opportunity  of  that  body  to  conclude  a  case  with 
justice  may  be  to  add  a  vote  of  censure  of  the  accuser  to 
that  of  exoneration  of  the  accused. 

To  this  end,  a  person  preferring  charges  against  a  min- 
ister should  be  warned  at  the  outset  by  the  moderator  of 
the  grave  nature  of  the  thing  he  is  about  to  do,  of  the  legal 
and  moral  value  of  ministerial  reputation,  and  of  the  grave 
responsibility  assumed  by  one  who  would  recklessly  de- 
stroy so  valuable  an  asset  of  an  influential  man.  If  the 
charges  against  the  minister  be  not  sustained,  but  it  is 
apparent  they  were  brought  in  good  faith,  a  vote  of  exonera- 
tion will  be  sufficient,  but  if  it  appear  they  were  brought  in 
malice,  the  body  before  whom  his  case  is  tried  will  be  fully 
justified  in  recording  its  judgment  that  the  prosecution  was 
malicious. 

May  an  Association  Delegate  a  Trial  to  a  Commission? 
An  Association  may  delegate  the  trial  of  a  minister  to  a 
commission,  but  the  final  vote  must  be  by  the  Association 
itself,  and  appeal  may  be  had  from  the  commission  to  the 
Association. 

May  an  Association  Try  a  Member  for  Heresy?  An 
Association  may  try  one  of  its  own  members  for  heresy. 
Evidence  should  be  submitted,  if  possible  in  the  precise 
words  of  some  authorized  publication,  or  by  the  testimony 
of  actual  witnesses,  establishing  the  radical  departure  of 


346        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

the  member  from  the  standards  of  orthodox  Congregational 
teaching.  In  such  a  trial,  creeds  of  acknowledged  weight 
in  the  denomination  may  be  used  as  a  testimony  of  the 
faith  of  the  denomination  at  the  time  when  the  creeds  sev- 
erally were  adopted,  and  as  showing  the  general  trend  of 
actual  opinion.  But  the  accused  has  a  right  to  demand  that 
the  creed,  which  is  the  opinion  of  men,  and  of  men  prob- 
ably dead,  be  weighed  in  the  balance  with  the  living  opinion 
of  the  man  accused.  All  opinions  must  finally  be  judged 
by  the  Holy  Scripture  as  interpreted  by  the  living  Spirit 
of  Truth. 

May  Ecclesiastical  Trials  Be  Held  in  Private?  Eccle- 
siastical trials  may  be  held  in  private  whenever  in  the 
judgment  of  the  body  conducting  them  it  is  desirable  that 
this  should  be  done. 

May  a  Minister  Be  Tried  by  Council?  A  minister  may 
be  tried  by  a  mutual  council,  or  by  an  ex-parte  council  if 
he  refuse  to  join  in  a  mutual  council.  Rarely  should  a 
minister  be  tried  by  an  ex-parte  council,  however,  and  sel- 
dom will  the  finding  of  such  a  council  have  weight.  The 
Association  is  a  body  much  more  fit  than  such  a  council  in 
determining  without  prejudice  a  question  relating  to  the 
ministry.  From  the  decision  of  a  mutual  council,  regularly 
called  and  competent  to  pass  upon  the  case,  an  Association 
will  not  permit  an  appeal  to  be  taken  to  itself.  It  will 
commonly  base  its  own  action  upon  the  finding  of  such  a 
council  officially  reported  to  it.  The  Association  before 
concurring  in  the  finding  of  an  ex-parte  council  should  care- 
fully inquire  whether  the  council  had  jurisdiction,  and  has 
done  substantial  justice. 

May  a  State  Conference  Try  a  Minister?  A  State  Con- 
ference may  not  try  a  minister.  Nevertheless,  a  State  Con- 
ference has  a  right  to  judge  of  its  own  membership,  and  if 
it  has  reason  to  believe  that  a  member  accredited  to  it  by  a 
District  Association  is  unworthy  of  such  membership,  it 
may  request  his  Association  to  investigate  his  standing. 
When  such  membership,  however,  is  finally  established  in 


ECCLESIASTICAL   DISCIPLINE 347 

the  District  Association,  the  right  to  membership  also  in 
the  State  Conference  is  established. 

May  the  National  Council  Try  a  Minister?  The  National 
Council  may  not  try  a  minister,  nor  may  it  refuse  to  re- 
ceive into  its  membership  a  person  duly  accredited  by  the 
churches. 

May  the  Results  of  an  Ecclesiastical  Trial  Be  Published? 
Discipline  by  an  ecclesiastical  body  extends  only  to  such 
powers  and  penalties  as  are  implied  in  membership  in  such 
a  body.  The  general  principle  is  that  discipline  by  a  local 
church  may  be  published  in  and  to  the  local  church;  that 
discipline  by  an  Association  may  be  made  known  to  the 
members  of  the  Association.  Any  publicity  beyond  this 
must  justify  itself  in  the  nature  of  the  case  and  the  reason 
for  the  action.  In  the  case  of  a  minister  expelled  from  an 
Association  and  thereby  deprived  of  ministerial  standing  in 
the  denomination,  the  fact  of  such  expulsion  and  the  charge 
upon  which  expulsion  is  grounded  may  be  published  in  the 
denominational  press;  but  this  does  not  justify  the  wide- 
spread publication  of  his  disgrace  through  any  motive  of 
revenge.  The  purpose  of  publicity  is  not  the  injury  of 
the  offender  beyond  such  reasonable  and  necessary  injury 
as  is  involved  in  the  decision  itself  and  the  normal  and 
proper  publicity  thereof.  If  reporters  have  been  present 
during  the  trial,  the  reporters  are  entitled  also  to  copies  of 
the  finding.  If  the  trial  has  been  in  private,  the  publication 
should  be  confined  to  the  result  of  the  trial  without  detail. 
No  absolute  rule  of  law  or  of  ecclesiastical  custom  exists 
that  covers  all  cases.  Inasmuch  as  ministerial  standing  in 
the  Congregational  denomination  is  nation-wide,  the  whole 
body  of  churches  has  a  right  to  know,  and  be  on  their  guard 
against,  a  man  who  has  been  found  unworthy  to  continue 
in  the  Congregational  ministry;  but  the  publication  of  this 
knowledge  must  not  be  permitted  to  degenerate  into  vin- 
dictiveness.  The  purpose  of  publicity  must  be  protection, 
and  not  persecution. 

Dr.  Boynton  was  correct  in  his  judgment  that  expulsion 


348        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

from  church  membership  should  not  be  accompanied  by  any 
vindictive  action,  though  hardly  right  in  maintaining  that 
there  should  be  no  record  other  than  the  fact  that  the  per- 
son expelled  is  not  in  fellowship.  The  record  should  state 
the  reason  for  the  act,  whether  "for  an  absence  unexplained 
or  a  gross  sin."  And  there  are  times  when  a  more  public 
statement  must  be  made,  though  as  a  rule  this  is  not  neces- 
sary.    Dr.  Boynton  said : 

It  does  not  seem  necessary  or  wise  for  a  church  in  terminating 
membership  to  inflict  censure,  or  indeed  to  express  its  judgment 
except  as  to  the  facts.  The  church  can  only  record  the  fact  that 
a  certain  person  is  or  is  not  in  its  fellowship,  that  is,  entitled  to 
and  actually  participating  in  its  work  and  privileges.  The  old  idea 
of  excommunication  as  a  censure  and  curse  was  not  a  Scriptural 
one.  Excommunication  means  simply  out  of  communion.  It  is 
sufficient  to  record  on  the  books  of  the  church  the  declaration  that 
such  an  one  "is  no  longer  in  the  communion  of  this  church,"  and 
state  the  reason  for  this  declaration.  It  may  be  an  absence  unex- 
plained, or  a  gross  sin;  the  statement  of  the  fact  suggests  the 
measure  of  blame.  Nor  need  such  action  be  announced  from  the 
pulpit  on  the  Lord's  Day.  That  might  do  much  more  harm  than 
good  and  disturb  the  service  and  distract  attention.  A  church 
should  always  act  in  such  a  case  with  deep  regret,  and  this  should 
be  manifested  in  each  step  of  the  proceeding  and  in  the  result  and 
its  record  and  announcement. — Congregational  Way,  pp.  79,  80. 


XXI.    THE  ORDINANCES  OF  THE  CHURCH 

Have  We  Sacraments  or  Ordinances?  An  ordinance  is 
an  established  custom,  rule  or  appointment:  a  rite,  cere- 
mony or  practice  constituted  by  authority  or  recognized 
usage.  A  sacrament  is  an  outward  and  visible  sign  of  an 
inward  and  spiritual  grace.  In  this  sense  we  have  ordi- 
nances which  are  also  sacraments.  But  if  the  term  sacra- 
ment is  used  to  indicate  a  magical  sacerdotal  operation,  we 
regard  it  as  little  better  than  a  superstition,  and  possibly 
worse.  Our  sacraments  are  ordinances  appointed  by  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  his  church,  but  have  in  them  nothing 
of  priestly  magic. 

Scriptural  Order  and  Worship.  It  was  with  regard  unto  Church 
Order  and  Discipline,  that  our  pious  Ancestors,  the  Good  old 
Puritan  Nonconformists,  transported  themselves  and  their  Families, 
over  the  vast  Ocean  to  these  goings  down  of  the  Sun.  On  which 
account,  a  Degeneracy  from  the  Principles  of  pure  Scriptural  Wor- 
ship and  Order  in  the  Church,  would  be  more  Evil  in  the  Children 
of  New-England,  than  any  other  People  in  the  World. — Cotton 
Mather:  Ratio  Disciplinse,  iv. 

The  Permanence  of  Our  Principles.  Some  [among  us]  are 
great  Blessings  to  the  Churches,  as  inheriting  the  Principles, 
Spirit,  and  Grace  of  their  Fathers  and  Grand-Fathers;  but  many 
of  them  do  not  so.  On  which  account,  it  is  not  at  all  to  be  won- 
dered at,  if  they  Dislike  the  Good  Old  Way  of  the  Churches;  yea, 
if  they  Scoff  at  it,  as  some  of  them  do;  or  if  they  are  willing  to 
depart  from  what  is  Ordinarily  Practiced  in  the  Churches  of  Christ 
in  New-England.  For  the  Congregational  Church  Discipline  is  not 
Suited  for  a  Worldly  Interest,  or  for  a  Formal  Generation  of  Pro- 
fessors. It  will  stand  or  fall  as  Godliness  in  the  Power  of  it  docs 
prevail,  or  otherwise. — Increase  Mather:  Order  of  the  Gospel,  ii. 

What  Is  the  Congregational  Doctrine  of  Baptism?    Con- 

gregationalists  teach  that  baptism  is  an  outward  sign  of 
an  inward  grace,  and  that  it  typifies  washing  from  sin,  and 
union  with  Christ. 

To  Whom  May  Baptism  Be  Administered?  Baptism  is 
to  be  administered  to  believers  and  to  their  children. 

In  What  Form  May  Baptism  Be  Administered?  Bap- 
tism may  be  administered  in  a  reverent  application  of  water 


350        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

to  the  body  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the 
Holy  Spirit. 

Controversies  concerning  the  mode  of  baptism  have 
comparatively  little  interest  for  Congregationalists.  As  to 
form,  it  is  permitted  to  each  member  to  be  fully  persuaded 
in  his  own  mind.  It  is  generally  conceded  by  Congrega- 
tional scholars  that  in  the  early  Church  baptism  was  com- 
monly by  immersion.  Those  who  make  this  concession  con- 
tend, however,  that  the  mere  form  of  the  rite  received  no 
emphasis,  or  even  any  unmistakable  definition,  in  the  New 
Testament,  and  that  to  overemphasize  the  matter  of  form 
is  contrary  to  the  spirit  of  the  gospel. 

Did  the  Early  Church  Practice  Baptism  by  Immersion 
Exclusively?  We  are  certain  that  the  early  churches  some- 
times practiced  baptism  by  other  modes  than  immersion. 

Dating  from  the  early  part  of  the  second  century,  the 
instructions  are  to  baptize  if  practicable  in  running  water, 
but  if  no  running  water  is  available  then  in  a  pool,  and  if 
no  natural  body  of  water  is  at  hand  then  in  an  artificial 
body,  artificially  heated,  but  in  case  none  of  these  forms  is 
practicable,  then  baptism  is  to  be  performed  by  afifusion. 

Now  concerning  baptism,  baptize  ye  thus:  having  said  all  these 
things  beforehand,  baptize  ye  into  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  living  water.  But  if  thou  have 
not  living  water,  baptize  into  other  water;  and  if  thou  canst  not 
in  cold,  in  warm.  But  if  thou  have  neither,  pour  out  water  thrice 
upon  the  head  into  the  name  of  Father  and  Son  and  Holy  Ghost. 
And  before  the  baptism  let  the  baptizer  fast  and  the  baptized,  and 
whatever  others  can:  and  thou  shalt  command  the  baptized  to  fast 
for  one  or  two  days  beforehand. — Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles, 
ch.  vii. 

From  this  and  other  records  it  appears  that  immersion 
was  the  preferred  and  customary  form,  but  it  is  certain 
that  the  Lord  Jesus  placed  little  emphasis  upon  the  external 
form.  An  instructive  illustration  is  found  in  the  manner 
in  which  He  observed  the  Passover.  In  the  Jewish  ritual 
it  was  set  forth  as  a  permanent  ordinance  that  those  who 
ate  the  Passover  were  to  eat  it  with  staffs  in  their  hands 
and  sandals  on  their  feet;  that  they  were  to  eat  in  haste 


THE   ORDINANCES  OF  THE  CHURCH  351 

and  go  out  quickly.  At  the  time  when  Jesus  lived,  all  these 
details  were  disregarded  and  Jesus  and  his  disciples  ate  the 
Passover  reclining,  with  sandals  laid  aside,  and  after  the 
meal  remained  for  a  considerable  time  in  conversation.  It 
is  quite  inconceivable  that  our  Lord,  who  himself  so  habitu- 
ally disregarded  mere  form  and  who  left  the  form  of  his 
own  baptism  so  obscurely  indicated  and  nowhere  specifi- 
cally enjoined,  should  have  made  any  particular  form  of 
this  or  any  rite  a  condition  of  membership  in  his  Church. 

May  Infants  Be  Baptized?  There  is  no  recorded  and 
indubitable  instance  of  infant  baptism  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. The  number  of  cases,  however,  in  which  believers 
were  baptized  with  their  households  and  the  fact  that  Jew- 
ish households  commonly  contained  children,  together  with 
the  fact  that  under  the  Jewish  covenant  infants  were  pre- 
sented in  the  temple  and  brought  up  as  children  of  the  cove- 
nant, affords  at  least  a  presumption  that  the  children  may 
have  been  baptized.  The  Scriptures  certainly  contain  no 
prohibition,  and  the  valid  testimony  of  experience  is  in 
favor  of  the  practical  value  of  such  an  ordinance.  Children 
of  believers  are  not  to  be  regarded  as  belonging  to  Satan, 
but  as  belonging  to  Christ,  and  should  be  dedicated  to  Him 
and  reared  in  expectation  that  they  will  make  their  parents' 
faith  their  own. 

Infant  Baptism.  Congregationalists,  in  common  with  the 
majority  of  other  Christians,  hold  that  believers  and  their  house- 
holds are  proper  subjects  of  baptism,  not  because  it  was  distinctly 
commanded  by  Jesus,  but  because  the  rite  by  which  this  was 
preceded  was  so  administered,  and  because  there  are  no  indications 
in  the  New  Testament  that  the  Christian  Church  was  to  be  nar- 
rower than  the  Jewish,  and  there  are  indications  that  it  wa^  as 
inclusive  of  the  household.  Children  are  not  baptized  in  order  to 
constitute  any  new  relation  between  them  and  the  Lord  or  his 
Church,  but  in  recognition  of  the  fact  that  the  children  of  Christian 
parents  belong  to  the  family  of  God  and  have  a  right  to  the  Chris- 
tian teaching  and  example  of  the  home  and  the  church.  The  bap- 
tism of  children  is  not,  however,  insisted  on,  but  left  to  the  indi- 
vidual conviction  of  parents. — Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p.  69. 

Should  Children  of  Non-Christian  Parents  Be  Baptized? 

Each  church  is  competent  to  decide  for  itself  the  conditions 


352  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

under  which  children  shall  be  accepted  for  baptism.  It  is 
commonly  held  that  all  children  should  be  baptized  whose 
parents  will  enter  into  covenant  to  train  them  in  the  nur- 
ture and  admonition  of  the  Lord. 

Should  Dying  Children  Be  Baptized?  Dying  children 
should  not  be  baptized  through  any  pretense  that  such  an 
act  is  essential  to  their  salvation.  "Of  such  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,"  but  a  minister  ought  not  to  refuse  to  baptize 
a  dying  child  whose  parents  desire  the  act  to  be  performed, 
even  if  in  their  case  something  of  superstition  enters  into 
the  desire  for  the  baptism.  It  may  or  may  not  be  a  time 
in  which  the  parents  can  be  instructed  concerning  the  deeper 
meanings  of  Christian  baptism,  but  the  wise  pastor  will 
improve  the  opportunity  and  the  days  that  follow  to  make 
the  act  of  consecration  one  that  includes  the  parents  as  well 
as  the  child. 

Do  Congregationalists  Teach  Baptismal  Regeneration? 
Congregationalists  do  not  teach,  and  rarely,  if  ever,  have 
believed,  in  baptismal  regeneration.  Even  those  early  Cal- 
vmists  who  believed  that  some  children  are  non-elect  com- 
monly did  not  hold  that  baptism  or  the  lack  of  it  determined 
the  fact  of  the  election.  The  poem  of  Michael  Wiggles- 
worth,  entitled  "The  Day  of  Doom,"  has  sometimes  been 
quoted  to  prove  that  Congregationalists  once  believed  in 
the  loss  of  unbaptized  infants,  but  this  is  a  mistake.  The 
infants  in  that  poem  who  were  given  a  place  "in  the  easiest 
room  in  Hell"  were  non-elect  infants,  and  no  reference  was 
made  to  the  question  whether  they  were  or  were  not  bap- 
tized. 

Congregationalists  hold  that  the  process  of  regeneration 
belongs  to  the  inward  working  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  Of 
this  regeneration  baptism  is  a  beautiful  and  appropriate 
symbol,  but  it  is  not  the  cause  or  the  agent  of  it. 

If  ever  Congregationalists  believed  in  the  condemnation 
of  any  children  by  reason  of  Adam's  sin,  they  held  that 
view  at  a  time  when  Christians  generally  were  holding  it, 
and  that  view  of  the  fate  of  infants  was  probably  never 


THE   ORDINANCES   OF  THE   CHURCH  353 

worse  than  that  of  their  neighbors,  both  Calvinistic  and 
Arminian.  The  author  of  this  volume  has  read  somewhat 
extensively  in  the  literature  of  Congregationalism  and  has 
never  been  able  to  discover  in  any  book,  sermon,  or  tract, 
by  any  American  Congregational  minister,  any  statement 
which  would  justify  the  declaration  that  American  Congre- 
gationalists  have  ever  believed  in  the  eternal  damnation  of 
unbaptized  children. 

What  Is  the  Status  of  Baptized  Infants?  Children  who 
have  been  baptized  and  nurtured  in  the  Church  are  not  to 
be  regarded  as  without  the  covenant,  neither  are  they  to  be 
considered  as  full  members  of  the  church.  They  are  to  be 
cherished  and  instructed  in  full  expectation  that  on  their 
arrival  at  a  suitable  age  they  will  gladly  enter  into  the  fel- 
lowship of  the  Church.  They  are  not  to  be  regarded  as  of 
the  world,  nor  is  it  to  be  expected  that  their  conversion  will 
have  those  marks  of  struggle  and  surrender  which  belong 
to  the  life  of  certain  sinners  running  to  Christ.  They  are  to 
be  considered  as  children  of  God  and  of  the  Church.  The 
confession  of  their  faith  should  not  be  regarded  as  primarily 
a  confession  of  sin,  and  their  entering  into  the  fellowship 
of  the  Church  should  not  be  thought  of  as,  ipso  facto,  the 
abandonment  of  a  life  of  sin.  For  them  the  pastor  may 
profitably  hold  classes  of  instruction,  particularly  during  the 
weeks  of  the  winter  and  spring.  It  is  eminently  fitting  that 
on  Easter  or  Children's  Day,  or  at  the  end  of  the  year,  these 
children  should  be  received  into  full  membership  in  the 
Church.  The  weeks  of  the  Lenten  season  offer  an  increas- 
ingly favorable  opportunity  for  such  instruction  as  these 
young  people  require.  It  is  appropriate  that  for  such  young 
people  a  special  form  of  admission  to  the  Church  should  be 
provided,  and  there  is  no  valid  reason  why  this  should  not 
be  called  a  confirmation  service. 

A  suitable  form  for  such  service  has  been  provided  in  the 
author's  Congregational  Handbook,  pp.  279-281. 

Who  May  Administer  Baptism?     In  ordinary  cases  bap- 


354  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE * 

tism  is  to  be  administered  only  by  ordained  ministers  of 
the  gospel.  A  church  may  for  good  reason  authorize  a 
licentiate  or  one  of  its  deacons  or  other  members  to  admin- 
ister this  ordinance,  but  this  should  be  done  only  for  good 
reason  and  in  exceptional  cases.  However,  even  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  admits  the  validity  of  lay  baptism,  and 
Congregationalists  cannot  deny  it  when  there  is  reverent 
intent  to  administer  baptism  as  a  Christian  ordinance.  It 
is  customary  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  to  instruct 
mid-wives  to  baptize  infants  dying  at  birth.  One  of  the 
early  accounts  of  capture  by  the  Indians  in  New  England 
records  the  fact  that  French  missionaries  had  instructed 
their  Indian  converts  to  baptize  white  infants  before  they 
tomahawked  them. 

Who  May  Baptize.  In  itself  considered,  the  laity  also  have 
the  right  to  administer  the  sacraments,  and  to  teach  in  the  commu- 
nity. The  Word  of  God  and  the  sacraments  were  communicated  to 
all,  and  may  therefore  be  communicated  by  all  Christians,  as  instru- 
ments of  Divine  grace.  If  we  look  at  the  order  necessary  to  be 
maintained  in  the  Church,  the  laity  are  to  exercise  their  priestly 
rights  of  administering  the  sacraments  only  when  the  time  and 
the  circumstances  require  it. — TertuUian:  Baptism,  ch.  17.  Cited 
by  Neander,  Ch.  Hist.,  Vol.  I,  p.  796. 

'At  first,  all  who  were  engaged  in  propagating  Christianity,  ad- 
ministered this  ordinance  [baptism],  nor  can  it  be  called  in  ques- 
tion that  whoever  persuaded  any  person  to  embrace  Christianity 
could  baptize  his  own  disciple. — Mosheim:  Eccl.  Hist.,  Cent.  I., 
Part  II,  ch.  iv,  sec.  8. 

There  are  positively  no  sacred  rites  or  acts  which  it  is  declared 
in  the  New  Testament  must  be  administered  by  men  ordained  or 
in  any  way  separated  from  the  general  body  of  Christians.  The 
two  sacraments  are  justly  considered  the  most  solemn  of  Christian 
ordinances.  But  even  of  them  such  administration  is  nowhere 
commanded. — Jacob:  Eccl.  Polity  of  the  New  Testament,  p.  144. 

There  is  no  one  passage  in  the  New  Testament  which  proves 
that  it  is  the  exclusive  right  of  the  elders  to  baptize.  And  yet  the 
notion  is  tenaciously  held.  Coming  as  it  does  from  the  Church  of 
Rome,  and  received  from  that  source  by  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  it  has  taken  hold  of  other  denominations. — Davidson:  Eccl. 
Polity  of  the  N.  T.,  pp.  280,  283-286. 

The  supposed  need  in  the  case  of  evangelists  and  missionaries 
grows  out  of  the  assumption  that  only  an  ordained  person  has  the 
right  to  administer  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  But  that 
assumption  is  a  legacy  of  popery  which  Congregationalism  will 
do  well  to  decline;  since  the  Bible  does  neither  affirm  nor  endorse 
it.     Scripturally  one  of  the  deacons,  or  any  brother  of  the  church 


THE   ORDINANCES   OF  THE   CHURCH  355 

whom  it  may  authorize  for  the  purpose,  is  competent — in  the 
absence  of  the  pastor — to  baptize,  or  preside  at  the  remembrance 
of  Christ  at  the  Lord's  Supper. — Dexter:  Congregationalism,  p.  155. 
I  have  found  nothing  in  the  Bible,  and  nothing  in  what  I  have 
seen  of  the  earliest  Christian  writers,  which  implies  that  it  was  the 
peculiar  duty,  or  the  peculiar  honor  of  this  or  that  officer,  to 
administer  baptism. — Leonard  Bacon:  Manual  of  Ch.  Polity,  p.  58. 

Baptism  by  Savages.  One  Jesuit  came  to  me,  and  asked  whether 
all  the  English  at  Loret  (a  place  not  far  from  Quebec)  where  the 
savages  lived,  were  baptized.  I  told  him  they  were.  He  said,  "If 
they  be  not,  let  me  know  of  it,  that  I  may  baptize  them,  for  fear 
they  should  die,  and  be  damned,  if  they  die  without  baptism."  Says 
he,  "When  the  savages  went  against  you,  I  charged  them  to  baptize 
all  children  before  they  killed  them;  such  was  my  desire  of  your 
eternal  salvation,  though  you  were  our  enemies." — Rev.  John  Wil- 
liams: The  Redeemed  Captive,  p.  65  (1696). 

Baptism  by  an  Unlawful  Minister.  Baptism,  by  an  unlawful 
minister,  of  an  unfit  subject,  and  in  an  unsanctified  communion 
and  unlawful  manner,  is  true  baptism,  unlawfully  and  falsely  ad- 
ministered.— John  Robinson:  iii,   186. 

Do  Congregationalists  Acknowledge  Self-Baptism?  Cer- 
tain of  the  early  Puritans  baptized  themselves,  but  this  was 
not  then  regarded  as  regular,  and  is  not  considered  as  valid 
by  Congregationalists. 

Do  We  Acknowledge  the  Baptism  of  Other  Denomina- 
tions? All  persons  baptized  by  other  branches  of  the  Chris- 
tian Church  with  intent  to  perform  and  receive  Christian 
baptism  are  to  be  regarded  as  baptized. 

Is  Roman  Catholic  Baptism  Valid?  Persons  who  have 
been  baptized  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  are  to  be  re- 
garded by  Protestants  as  having  been  baptized.  The  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  while  not  the  Church  of  Christ,  is  a  part 
of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  its  errors  of  doctrine  and  gov- 
ernment cannot  properly  be  held  to  invalidate  baptism  per- 
formed within  it. 

The  Validity  of  Roman  Catholic  Baptism.  This  seems  to  have 
been  admitted  by  all  the  early  Congregationalists. — Hanbury:  i, 
310,  311. 

Where  God  requireth  his  people  to  come  out  of  Babylon,  He 
doth  not  require  them  to  leave  whatsoever  is  there  had,  but  re- 
quireth them  to  have  no  more  communion  with  her  sins. — Francis 
Johnson:  Treatise  vs.  Two  Errors,  in  Hanbury,  i,  169. 

Is  Baptism  to  Be  Performed  a  Second  Time?    Ordinarily 


356  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

a  person  once  baptized  is  not  to  be  re-baptized,  but  there  is 
no  reason  why  re-baptism  should  be  held  in  any  supersti- 
tious fear.  If  a  person  who  was  baptized  in  infancy  comes 
to  feel  that  he  ought  to  be  baptized  as  a  part  of  his  own 
personal  confession  of  faith,  he  should  be  shown,  if  he  can 
be  shown,  how  beautiful  and  valid  an  act  his  own  confes- 
sion of  Christ  may  be  if  he  will  perform  it  as  fully  making 
vital  the  act  of  his  parents  in  his  behalf.  But  if  he  still 
insists  and  feels  that  he  cannot  be  comfortable  in  his  own 
conscience  without  baptism  as  a  part  of  his  own  confession, 
there  is  no  valid  objection  to  his  being  baptized.  Some 
ministers  in  such  cases  employ  the  form  "If  thou  art  not 
already  baptized,  I  baptize  thee."  There  is  no  particular 
objection  to  the  use  of  such  a  form,  but  Congregationalists 
generally  do  not  regard  it  as  necessary,  or  hold  that  re-bap- 
tism when  performed  as  a  requirement  of  conscience  is  a 
matter  for  disputation  or  of  superstitious  fear. 

Are  Sponsors  Permitted  in  Baptism?  Sponsors  are  not 
required,  but  may  be  permitted,  in  baptism  in  Congrega- 
tional churches.  The  parents  themselves  should  present 
their  own  children  for  baptism,  and  should  covenant  with 
God  and  the  Church  that  they  will  train  these  children  in 
the  Christian  faith.  If  they  desire  to  associate  with  them- 
selves any  near  friends  or  relatives  who  willingly  share  their 
obligation  and  covenant,  there  is  no  valid  objection  to  their 
doing  so. 

Is  the  Baptism  of  an  Excommunicated  Person  Valid? 
If  a  person  has  been  baptized  and  afterward  excommuni- 
cated from  the  Church  his  baptism  is  not  invalidated.  If 
he  later  repents  and  is  restored  to  fellowship  it  is  not  neces- 
sary that  he  be  re-baptized. 

What  Is  the  Lord's  Supper?  The  Lord's  Supper  is  an 
ordinance  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  instituted  by  Jesus  Him- 
self, and  performed  by  the  Church  in  all  ages  since  in  imita- 
tion of  his  example  and  in  obedience  to  his  command. 

What  Is  the  Significance  of  the  Lord's  Supper?  The 
Lord's  Supper  is  a  memorial  of  the  death  of  Jesus,  a  re- 


THE   ORDINANCES   OF  THE   CHURCH  357 

minder  of  the  providence  and  care  of  God  in  provision  of 
bread  for  the  bodies  and  souls  of  men,  a  tangible  emblem 
of  a  spiritual  grace  which  manifested  itself  in  the  gift  of 
Christ,  an  expression  of  unbroken  fellowship,  and  a  pledge 
of  the  spiritual  triumph  of  the  Lord. 

Are  the  Bread  and  Wine  the  Real  Body  and  Blood  of 
Christ?  The  bread  and  wine  are  not  the  real  body  and 
blood  of  Christ,  and  to  seek  to  make  them  so  is  a  harmful 
superstition. 

Against  this  error  of  the  Church  of  Rome  all  Protestant 
Churches  have  borne  constant  testimony,  but  since  the  Ox- 
ford Movement  in  England  there  has  been  an  unhappy  ten- 
dency on  the  part  of  the  Romeward  wing  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  to  import  this  superstition  into  Protestantism. 
There  is  but  one  way  in  which  the  bread  and  wine  can 
become  a  part  of  the  body  of  Christ,  and  that  is  not  to  be 
found  in  any  magical  result  of  the  blessing  of  the  priest. 
All  Christians  are  of  the  body  of  Christ.  Partaking  of  his 
life  they  manifest  to  the  world  the  fellowship  of  his  sacri- 
fice and  the  hope  of  the  coming  of  his  kingdom.  The  bread 
which  becomes  a  part  of  their  bodies  becomes  in  them  and 
not  otherwise  a  part  of  the  body  of  Christ. 

How  Was  the  Lord's  Supper  Regarded  by  the  Early 
Church?  The  Lord's  Supper  in  the  early  churches  was 
first  a  common  meal  shared  by  all  the  members  of  the  con- 
gregation. This  grew  to  be  an  abuse  even  in  the  apostles' 
time,  so  that  Paul's  letters  to  the  Corinthians  show  that  it 
sometimes  became  the  occasion  of  gluttony  and  drunken- 
ness. For  this  reason  the  Lord's  Supper  came  to  be  admin- 
istered in  simply  a  crumb  of  bread  and  a  drop  of  wine, 
offering  no  temptation  to  the  appetite. 

The  form  in  which  the  Lord's  Supper  was  administered 
in  the  Church  shortly  after  the  death  of  the  Apostles  is 
clearly  set  forth  in  "The  Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apos- 
tles": 

Now  concerning  the  Thanksgiving  [or  Eucharist],  give  ye 
thanks  thus:    First  concerning  the  cup:    We  give  thanks  to  thee, 


358         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

our  Father,  for  the  holy  vine  of  David  thy  servant,  which  thou 
madest  known  to  us  through  Jesus  thy  servant;  to  thee  be  the 
glory  forever.  And  concerning  the  broken  bread:  We  give  thanks 
to  thee,  our  Father,  for  the  life  and  knowledge  which  thou  madest 
known  to  us  through  Jesus  thy  servant:  to  thee  be  the  glory  for* 
ever.  As  this  broken  bread  was  scattered  abroad  over  the  moun- 
tains, and  being  gathered  together  became  one,  so  let  thy  church 
be  gathered  together  from  the  ends  of  the  earth  into  thy  kingdom: 
for  thine  is  the  glory  and  the  power  through  Jesus  Christ  forever. 
But  let  no  one  eat  or  drink  of  your  Thanksgiving  [or  Eucharist], 
but  those  baptized  into  the  name  of  the  Lord:  for  concerning  this 
also  hath  the  Lord  said:  Give  not  that  which  is  holy  to  the  dogs. 
And  after  being  filled,  give  ye  thanks  thus:  We  give  thanks  to 
thee,  Holy  Father,  for  thy  holy  name  which  thou  causedst  to  dwell 
[lit.  tabernacle]  in  our  hearts,  and  for  the  knowledge  and  faith 
and  immortality  which  thou  madest  known  to  us  through  Jesus, 
thy  servant:  to  thee  be  the  glory  forever.  Thou,  Almighty  Master, 
didst  create  all  things  for  thy  name's  sake;  both  food  and  drink 
didst  thou  give  to  men  to  enjoy,  that  they  might  give  thanks  to 
thee;  but  to  us  didst  thou  grant  spiritual  food  and  drink  and  life 
eternal  through  thy  servant.  Before  all  things  we  give  thanks  to 
thee  that  thou  art  mighty:  to  thee  be  the  glory  forever.  Remem- 
ber, Lord,  thy  church,  to  deliver  it  from  every  evil,  anf^  to  make 
it  perfect  in  thy  love;  and  gather  it  together  from  the  forfr  winds, 
the  sanctified  church,  into  thy  kingdom  which  thou  didst  prepare 
for  it:  but  thine  is  the  power  and  the  glory  forever.  Let  grace 
come,  and  let  this  world  pass  away.  Hosanna  to  the  God  of  David. 
If  anyone  is  holy,  let  him  come;  if  anyone  is  not,  let  him  repent: 
Maranatha.  Amen.  But  permit  ye  the  prophets  to  give  thanks  as 
much  as  they  will. — Chs.  ix  and  x. 

Who  May  Administer  the  Lord's  Supper?  Under  ordi- 
nary circumstances  the  Lord's  Supper  is  to  be  administered 
by  an  ordained  minister  of  the  gospel,  assisted  by  the  dea- 
cons of  the  church.  Only  in  exceptional  cases  should  a 
church  make  use  of  its  liberty  and  authorize  an  unordained 
person  to  administer  the  Lord's  Supper.  If  a  licentiate 
administers  the  Lord's  Supper  he  does  so,  not  by  virtue  of 
his  licensure,  but  by  vote  of  a  local  church. 

When  a  church  has  no  elders,  the  members  may  legitimately 
partake  of  the  Supper.  A  deacon  selected  by  the  brethren  may 
preside. — Davidson:  Eccl.  Polity  of  N.  T.,  p.  283. 

If  any  man,  even  a  laic,  be  appointed  by  the  church  to  admin- 
ister the  sacrament,  if  he  does  it,  he  does  nothing  but  his  duty,  and 
neither  oflfends  against  the  faith  nor  against  good  order. — Fabritius: 
Quoted  by  Samuel  Mather:  Apology,  p.  61. 

Ordination  seems  originally  intended  for  guarding  against  bad 
characters.  I  have  therefore  been  much  concerned  to  see  the  prac- 
tice of  administering  the  Lord's  Supper  obtain  prior  to  it,  which 
tends  to  set  it  aside,  and  will,  I  am  persuaded,  be  the  source  of 


THE   ORDINANCES  OF  THE  CHURCH  359 

many  mishaps  in  the  churches.  I  had  long  been  of  the  opinion 
that  there  was  no  Scripture  for  confining  the  administration  of 
the  Lord's  Supper  to  a  minister.  ...  I  could  wish  that  every 
church,  when  destitute  of  a  pastor,  would  attend  to  the  Lord's 
Supper  among  themselves. — Andrew  Fuller:  Works,  ii,  662. 

The  Lord's  Supper  was  originally  a  household  rite,  as  was  the 
passover  feast  among  the  Jews.  It  was  kept  among  the  early 
Christians  with  singleness  of  heart  and  from  house  to  house.  It 
was  a  beautiful  thought  that  the  father  of  the  household  should 
gather  the  family  around  him,  and,  in  answer  to  the  youngest, 
explain  the  meaning  of  the  service,  and  with  them  celebrate  the 
deliverance,  whether  from  the  kingdom  of  Egypt  or  of  evil.  By 
and  by,  it  came  to  be  a  church  ordinance,  not  by  divine  appoint- 
ment, but  by  ecclesiastical  arrangement,  and  came  to  be  less  fre- 
quent in  its  observance.  Like  all  commemorations  it  hardened 
into  a  fixed  ceremony  with  conditions  carefully  superimposed.  It 
would  be  thought  almost  a  sacrilege  for  a  layman  to  officiate  now, 
even  in  a  Congregational  church.  That  very  word  "officiate"  indi- 
cates the  change.  It  is  well  to  protect  the  table  of  the  Lord  so 
that  it  may  not  be  irreverently  or  carelessly  approached,  but  the 
difference  between  what  is  essential  and  what  is  accessory  should 
be  maintained.  Not  a  minister  always  or  only,  but  a  Christian  man 
of  faith  and  prayer  might  serve  it  best,  and  those  who  are  invited 
should  be  not  merely  church-members,  but  those  who  are  con- 
fessing, and  loving,  and  serving  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  living 
as  his  disciples. — Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  pp.  66-67. 

Minister  Dispenses  Lord's  Supper.  The  Supper  of  the  Lord  is 
to  be  dispenced  by  the  minister  of  the  Word,  1  unto  the  faithful 
of  the  same  Body,  2  or  commended  to  them  by  a  like  Body,  3 
having  examined  and  judged  themselves,  4  and  sitting  down  with 
him  at  the  Lord's  Table,  5  before  whom  the  minister  taketh  the 
Bread,  and  blesseth  it,  breaketh  it,  and  giveth  it  to  the  Brethren, 
with  this  commandment  once  for  all,  To  take  and  eat  it  as  the 
body  of  Christ  broken  for  them,  and  this  to  doe  in  remembrance 
of  him.  In  like  manner  also  he  taketh  the  Cup,  and  having  given 
thanks,  he  giveth  it  to  them  with  a  commandment  to  them  all,  To 
take  and  drinke  it  as  the  blood  of  Christ  shed  for  them,  and  this 
also  to  doe  in  remembrance  of  Him,  6  after  all  having  partaken, 
they  sing  a  Psalme. — John  Cotton:  The  Doctrine  of  the  Church,  2d 
ed.,  London,  1643,  p.  7. 

No  persons  may  administer  the  sacrament  but  such  as  are 
ordained  thereto. — Savoy  Confession. 

And  this  is  agreeable  to  present,  and,  so  far  as  I  can  learn, 
past  practice  of  Congregationalists.  How  much  of  the  principle 
of  apostolical  succession  and  holy  unction  is  countenanced  by  this 
practice,  may  be  a  question. — Cumniings:  Cong.  Diet.,  Lord's  Sup- 
per. 

How  Is  the  Lord's  Supper  to  Be  Administered?  Con- 
gregationalists are  wedded  to  no  one  form  of  administering 
the  Lord's  Supper.  It  is  generally  received  by  the  people 
sitting  in  their  pews.    The  bread  is  first  blessed  and  broken 


360  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

by  the  minister  and  handed  to  the  deacons,  who  first  pass 
the  plate  to  the  minister  himself  and  afterward  to  the  con- 
gregation. When  they  have  returned  it,  the  minister  passes 
the  bread  to  the  deacons  in  turn.  After  this,  the  minister 
pours  out  and  blesses  the  wine,  of  which  he  first  receives 
from  one  of  the  deacons,  after  which  the  wine  is  passed  to 
each  member  of  the  congregation,  and  then  by  the  minister 
to  the  deacons. 

The  deacons  should  not  take  the  plates  or  cups  from  the 
table  or  return  them  to  the  table,  but  receive  them  from 
and  return  them  to  the  minister. 

The  elements  should  be  received  reverently  by  each 
worshiper.  It  is  not  considered  reverent  to  take  bread  or 
wine  with  gloved  hand. 

What  Invitation  Should  Be  Given  to  the  Table?  Each 
church  is  competent  to  determine  the  form  of  its  own  invi- 
tation. It  is  customary  to  invite  members  of  all  churches 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  sometimes  the  invitation  is 
made  even  more  inclusive.  No  Congregational  church  at- 
tempts a  narrower  invitation  than  this. 

Who  Should  Be  Invited  to  the  Lord's  Supper?  Much  has  been 
made  of  the  invitation  to  the  Lord's  table.  If  it  is  his,  we  should 
not  invite  to  it.  It  belongs  to  those  who  are  of  the  family  of 
Christ.  We  should  welcome  those  who  claim  to  be  entitled  to  it. 
There  is  no  great  danger  that  the  multitude  of  careless  and  un- 
spiritual  people  will  intrude  upon  it,  if  the  service  be  kept  simple 
and  its  spiritual  meaning  be  kept  prominent.  The  invitation  used 
to  be  "to  those  who  are  in  good  and  regular  standing  in  other 
evangelical  churches."  A  form  which  is  very  common  now,  and 
which  is  better,  is,  "We  welcome  to  the  table  of  the  Lord  all  those 
who  love  him  and  confess  him  before  men."  This  last  clause  takes 
it  out  of  the  range  of  sudden  impulse,  if  there  would  be  any  great 
harm  in  that.  If  it  is  not  our  table,  we  should  leave  the  acceptance 
to  the  consciences  of  those  present,  except  perhaps  that  we  should 
reason  with  one  who  was  leading  an  immoral  life.  Even  in  such 
case  his  action  would  open  the  way  to  serious  conversation  and 
might  be  the  beginning  or  the  means  of  his  conversion. — Boynton: 
Congregational  Way,  p.  68. 

May  an  Unbaptized  Person  Partake  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per? Ordinarily  baptism  is  antecedent  to  participation  in 
the  Lord's  Supper,  but  we  have  no  authority  in  Scripture 
for  affirming  that  invariably  it  must  be  so. 


THE   ORDINANCES   OF  THE  CHURCH  361 

Baptism.  The  church  was  not  given  to  baptism,  but  baptism 
to  the  church;  if  admission  to  the  church  be  by  baptism,  then  cast- 
ing out  of  the  church  must  be  by  unbaptizing. — John  Robinson:  iii,  p. 
167. 

Whether  baptism  is  invariably  a  prerequisite  to  admis- 
sion to  the  Lord's  Supper  was  discussed  by  early 
Congregationalists,  who  held  in  general  that  baptism  should 
ordinarily  precede  the  Lord's  Supper,  but  many  of  them 
recognized  that  there  may  be  reasons  why  a  particular 
person  should  be  admitted  to  communion  who  has  not  been 
baptized. 

May  Non-Church  Members  Commune?  Ordinarily 
church  membership  should  be  regarded  as  a  prerequisite 
to  Communion,  but  there  are  exceptional  cases  in  which 
this  rule  should  not  be  rigidly  enforced.  The  invitation 
should  be  so  phrased  that  it  will  ordinarily  be  accepted 
only  by  church  members,  but  still  provision  will  be  made 
for  those  infrequent  but  reasonable  exceptions  which  occur 
in  the  experience  of  almost  every  minister.  The  following 
is  a  convenient  form  of  invitation : 

"Ministering  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  this  church  in- 
vites to  the  table  of  the  Lord  all  who  love  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  sincerity  and  have  publicly  confessed  Him  accord- 
ing to  His  command." 

Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper.  The  Answer  of  the  New  Eng- 
land Elders  to  the  Nine  Positions  is:  "Church  Communion  we 
hold  only  with  church  members,  admitting  to  the  fellowship  of  the 
seals  known  and  approved  and  orderly  recommended  members  of 
any  true  church"  (Hanbury,  iii,  40).  This  they  maintain  by  seven 
considerations,  among  which  is  this:  They  that  are  incapable  of 
the  censures  are  incapable  of  the  privileges.  Those  not  in  cov- 
enant are  incapable  of  the  censures,  therefore  of  the  seals  as  privi- 
leges. Those  not  members  of  churches  ordinarily  ought  not  to 
come  to  the  Communion,  but  there  are  exceptions. — Isaac  Watts: 
Terms  of  Communion,  Quest,  vi. 

Do  Congregationalists  Practice  Close  Communion? 
They  do  not;  and  have  never  been  able  to  find  any  authority 
for  such  practice  on  the  part  of  any  church. 

Open  Communion.  We  have  endeavored  to  show,  that  the 
practice  of  strict   Communion  derives   no  support  from  the  sup- 


362         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

posed  priority  of  baptism  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  in  the  order  of 
the  institution,  which  is  exactly  the  reverse;  that  it  is  not  coun- 
tenanced by  the  tenor  of  the  apostles'  commission,  nor  by  apos- 
tolic precedent,  the  spirit  of  which  is  in  our  favor;  that  the  oppo- 
site practice  is  enforced  by  the  obligations  of  Christian  charity; 
that  it  is  indubitably  comprehended  in  the  canon  which  enjoins 
forbearance  towards  mistaken  brethren;  that  the  system  of  our 
opponents  unchurches  every  Pedobaptist  community;  that  it  rests 
on  no  general  principle;  attempts  to  establish  an  impossible 
medium;  inflicts  a  punishment  which  is  capricious  and  unjust;  and 
finally,  that,  by  fomenting  prejudice  and  precluding  the  most 
effectual  means  of  conviction,  it  defeats  its  own  purpose. — Robert 
Hall:  Works,  i,  359. 

Suppose  you  judge  concurrence  in  the  use  of  a  liturgy  a  sin, 
and  the  unprescribed  way  a  duty,  yet  who  hath  empowered  you  to 
make  such  sins  exclusive  from  Christian  communion?  .  .  . 
Hath  God  forbidden  any  to  be  admitted  to  Christian  communion, 
but  such  as  are  absolutely  perfect  in  knowledge  and  holiness? 
Whose  is  this  table?  Is  it  the  table  of  this  or  that  man,  or  party 
of  men?  or  is  it  the  Lord's  table?  Then  certainly  it  ought  to  be 
free  to  his  guests;  and  who  should  dare  invite  others,  or  forbid 
these? — John  Hozve:  Works,  p.  184. 

The  churches  of  New  England  make  only  vital  piety  the  terms 
of  Communion  among  them;  and  they  all,  with  delight,  see  godly 
Congregationalists,  Presbyterians,  Episcopalians,  Anti-pedobaptists, 
and  Lutherans,  all  members  of  the  same  churches,  and  sitting 
together  without  offense  in  the  same  holy  mountain,  at  the  same 
holy  table. — Cottoit  Mather:  Ratio  Disciplinae,  iv. 

What  Kind  of  Bread  Is  Used  in  the  Lord's  Supper?    It 

is  not  necessary  that  any  one  kind  of  bread  should  be  used 
in  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  The  fact  that 
our  Lord  and  his  disciples  used  unleavened  bread  does  not 
necessarily  furnish  us  a  rule  or  example.  They  used  the 
bread  which  was  upon  the  table  at  that  particular  meal. 
The  common  bread  of  daily  life  is  a  sufficient  and  wholly 
appropriate  symbol  for  the  use  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

What  Kind  of  Wine  Is  Used  in  the  Lord's  Supper?  It 
is  customary  in  Congregational  churches  to  use  the  pure 
unfermented  juice  of  the  grape.  Fermented  wine  is  not 
commonly  employed,  and  its  use  is  properly  to  be  discour- 
aged. It  is  not  advisable  to  use  water  or  any  other  substi- 
tute. Jesus  and  his  disciples  drank  of  the  "fruit  of  the 
vine." 

Whether  the  wine  which  Jesus  and  his  disciples  used 
was  or  was  not  intoxicating  is  a  question  in  nowise  essen- 


THE  ORDINANCES  OF  THE   CHURCH  363 

tial  to  the  determining  of  the  character  of  the  wine  to  be 
used  by  modern  Christians,  Even  if  the  wine  Jesus  used 
contained  a  small  percentage  of  alcohol,  the  use  of  such 
wine  in  his  day  related  itself  quite  differently  to  social  cus- 
tom and  to  public  sentiment  than  the  use  of  wine  as  a  bev- 
erage does  in  our  day. 

How  Often  Should  the  Lord's  Supper  Be  Administered? 
There  is  no  general  rule  concerning  the  frequency  with 
which  the  Lord's  Supper  should  be  administered.  Each 
church  is  competent  to  make  its  own  rule.  It  is  not  advis- 
able to  observe  it  so  frequently  as  to  cheapen  the  custom 
by  constant  and  meaningless  repetition.  It  gains  in  solem- 
nity by  its  occasional  celebration  as  opposed  to  an  observ- 
ance every  Sunday.  Commonly,  once  in  two  months  is 
considered  a  sufficiently  frequent  observance. 

May  Special  Communion  Seasons  Be  Arranged?  Any 
church  is  competent  to  arrange  for  special  Communion 
services  when  occasion  seems  to  make  such  services  appro- 
priate. 

At  What  Time  of  the  Day  Should  the  Lord's  Supper  Be 
Administered?  The  Lord's  Supper  may  be  administered  at 
any  suitable  time  of  the  day.  There  is  no  virtue  in  the 
custom  which  obtains  in  some  denominations  of  receiving 
the  Lord's  Supper  fasting.  Our  Lord  and  his  disciples  ate 
the  Lord's  Supper  late  in  the  evening,  and  after  the  evening 
meal.  There  is  no  good  reason  why  his  disciples  should  not 
do  the  same.  While  the  Lord's  Supper  is  commonly  admin- 
istered at  a  morning  service,  some  churches  very  profitably 
observe  a  twilight  Communion. 

Do  Congregationalists  Observe  an  Easter  Communion? 
Many  Congregationalists  observe  an  Easter  Communion. 
There  is  a  certain  felicity  in  so  doing,  though  it  is  not 
wholly  appropriate  that  the  memorial  of  the  Lord's  death 
should  be  celebrated  on  the  anniversary  of  his  resurrection. 
Many  churches  observe  with  profit  the  Thursday  evening 
preceding  Easter. 


XXII.     SERVICES  AND  CEREMONIES 

What  Is  the  Law  of  the  Christian  Life?  The  law  of  the 
Christian  life  is  love  to  God  and  man.  It  is  not  two  laws 
but  one.  No  man  can  love  his  neighbor  in  the  highest  and 
best  sense  without  love  for  God ;  and  no  man  can  truthfully 
say  that  he  loves  God  while  hating  his  neighbor.  The 
Christian  life  is  both  personal  and  social.  It  is  personal, 
because  every  Christian  must  decide  for  himself  the  choice 
of  good  or  evil.  In  the  last  analysis,  but  one  thing  is  essen- 
tial to  the  life  of  the  Gospel,  and  that  is  the  life  of  God  in 
Christ  revealed  in  and  through  the  soul  of  the  believer. 
But  we  are  not  born  in  isolation,  nor  do  we  live  our  lives 
apart.  The  Spirit  of  Christ  imparted  to  all  who  will  receive 
it  is  a  social  spirit.  It  is  one  Spirit,  but  widely  and  diversely 
manifested.  Through  the  rich  diversity  of  gifts  the  one 
Spirit  of  God  incarnate  in  the  life  of  the  followers  of  Jesus 
makes  the  Church  the  Body  of  Christ. 

What  Is  Christian  Worship?  Christian  worship  is  the 
adoration  of  God,  in  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  performed 
either  in  public  or  in  private.  That  acceptable  worship  may 
be  offered  in  private  is  attested  by  the  command  of  Jesus. 
"Thou,  when  thou  prayest,  enter  into  thy  closet,  and  when 
thou  hast  shut  the  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  which  is  in 
secret;  and  thy  Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward 
thee  openly."  Public  Christian  worship  is  also  a  duty  and 
a  privilege.  We  are  exhorted  not  to  forsake  the  assembling 
of  ourselves  together.  That  which  made  possible  the  work 
of  the  early  church  was  the  assembling  of  its  members  for 
worship  and  work. 

The  Sacrament  of  Common  Worship.  In  respect  to  preaching 
and  worship,  the  Congregational  ideal  tends  to  extreme  high- 
churchism.  It  lays  a  maximum  of  stress  on  the  supreme  sacra- 
ments with  a  minimum  of  stress  on  the  mediating  ritual.  Its 
preaching  is  ideally  a  true  elevation  of  the  host,  and  the  personality 
of  the  preacher  becomes  the  chalice  of  blessing.  It  is  an  ideal 
which  demands  of  its  preachers  not  merely  a  proclamation  of  the 
Gospel  message,  but  a  sacramental  communication  of  the  Living 


SERVICES   AND    CEREMONIES  365 

Christ.  In  spite  of  an  excessive  disdain  of  the  symbols  of  priest- 
hood, it  exalts  the  preacher  to  a  height  of  responsibility  to  which 
no  priest  was  ever  elevated.  For  whereas  the  personality  of  the 
priest  is  an  impertinent  matter,  if  he  is  duly  authorized  and  or- 
dained, the  personality  of  the  preacher  is  pertinent  in  the  highest 
degree  for  the  conveyance  of  heavenly  blessing.  The  condition  of 
his  being  a  medium  of  grace  is  a  consecrated  personality  and  not 
official  ordination,  so  that  our  theory  of  the  ministry  is  priesthood 
in  excelsis. 

Consequently,  all  worship  is  an  act  of  "partaking."  Every  serv- 
ice is  essentially  of  the  nature  of  Holy  Communion  and  no  institu- 
tion can  exceed  in  solemn  meaning  the  ordinary  diet  of  worship. 
Therefore  the  Lord's  Supper  inevitably  loses  its  uniqueness,  while 
the  other  sacraments  fall  into  very  uncertain  significance.  Here 
Independency  has  approximated  to  Quakerism,  though  more  in 
theory  than  in  practice.  This  again  is  a  principle  upon  which  it  can- 
not go  back.  But  it  has  much  to  gain  from  a  fuller  recognition  of 
the  suggestive  significance  of  the  insignia  of  sacraments.  It  loses 
not  a  little  spiritual  influence  through  its  neglect  of  appropriate 
ritual.  It  tends  too  much  in  the  direction  of  the  public  meeting. 
Congregationalism,  which  is  natively  high-church,  would  increase 
in  impressiveness  if  in  this  matter  it  reverted  to  Catholic  tradi- 
tion.— Davis:  Congregationalism  and  Its  Ideal,  Constructive  Quar- 
terly, Sept.,  1915. 

What  Are  the  Essential  Parts  of  Public  Worship?    The 

essential  parts  of  public  Christian  worship  are  prayer,  the 
reading  of  Holy  Scripture,  song,  religious  instruction,  and 
the  administration  of  the  sacraments  of  the  church. 

The  early  Christians  had  exceedingly  simple  forms  of 
worship.  They  had  no  temple,  no  altar,  no  image,  no  ritual 
or  priesthood. 

Our  earliest  testimony  outside  the  New  Testament  to 
the  forms  of  Christian  worship  is  contained  in  a  letter  of 
Pliny,  the  Younger,  while  governor  of  Bithynia,  written  to 
the  Emperor  Trajan  about  109  A.  D.  He  describes  Chris- 
tian worship  as  he  had  extorted  its  details  under  torture 
from  some  young  women,  apparently  deaconesses. 

"The  Christians,"  he  says,  "affirmed  that  it  was  their 
custom  to  meet  on  a  stated  day  before  sunrise,  and  sing  a 
hymn  to  Christ  as  to  god;  that  they  further  bound  them- 
selves by  an  oath"  (obviously  the  baptismal  vow)  "never 
to  commit  any  crime,  but  to  abstain  from  robbery,  theft, 
adultery,  never  to  break  their  word,  nor  to  deny  a  trust 
when  summoned  to  deliver  it,  after  which  they  would  sep- 


366  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

arate  and  re-assemble  for  the  purpose  of  eating  in  common 
a  harmless  meal"  (Ep.  10:96).  Justin  Martyr,  writing 
about  A.  D.  150,  more  accurately  describes  the  forms  of 
worship  prevailing  in  his  day:  "On  Sunday,  all  who  live 
in  cities  or  in  the  country  gather  together  to  one  place,  and 
the  memoirs  of  the  Apostles  or  the  books  of  the  prophets 
are  read,  as  long  as  time  permits.  Then,  when  the  reader 
has  ended,  the  president  in  a  discourse  instructs  and  exhorts 
to  the  imitation  of  these  glorious  examples.  Then  we  all 
rise  together  and  send  upwards  our  prayers.  And  when 
we  have  ceased  from  prayer,  bread  and  wine  and  water  are 
brought,  and  the  president  ofifers  prayers  and  thanksgivings 
according  to  his  ability.  The  congregation  assent,  saying 
Amen ;  and  there  is  a  distribution  to  each  one  present  of 
the  consecrated  things,  and  to  those  who  are  absent  a  por- 
tion is  sent  by  the  deacons.  And  they  who  are  well-to-do 
and  willing  give  what  each  thinks  fit,  and  the  collected  gifts 
are  deposited  with  the  president,  who  succors  with  them 
the  widows  and  orphans,  and  those  who  through  sickness 
or  any  other  cause  are  in  want,  and  those  who  are  in  bonds, 
and  the  strangers  sojourning  among  us,  in  short,  all  who 
are  in  need"  (Apol.  1:65,  67).  Tertullian,  writing  some- 
where near  A.  D.  220,  describes  the  worship  as  follows : 
"Our  meal,"  he  writes,  "explains  itself  by  its  name.  It  is 
designated  by  the  Greek  word  for  love  (Agape).  What- 
ever it  costs,  our  outline  is  gain  if  we  thus  benefit  the  poor. 
This  is  the  honorable  occasion  of  our  repast.  By  this  judge 
its  further  regulations.  As  it  is  an  act  of  religious  service, 
it  permits  no  violence  nor  excess.  We  do  not  go  to  the 
table  until  we  have  first  tasted  of  prayer  to  God ;  we  eat  as 
much  as  satisfies  the  hungry ;  we  drink  as  much  as  is  profit- 
able for  the  chaste.  We  satisfy  ourselves  as  those  who 
remember  that  during  the  night  also  God  is  to  be  wor- 
shiped; we  converse  as  those  who  know  that  the  Lord 
hears  them.  After  water  for  the  hands  and  lights  are 
brought,  each  one  is  called  upon  to  praise  God,  either  from 
the  Holy  Scriptures  or  of  his  own  mind;  hence  it  is  proved 


SERVICES    AND    CEREMONIES  367 

how  much  he  has  drunken.  As  the  feast  began,  so  it  is 
closed,  with  prayer.  Thence  we  separate,  not  into  bands 
for  violence,  not  for  roaming  the  streets,  but  to  take  the 
same  care  of  our  modesty  and  chastity  as  if  we  had  been 
at  a  place  of  instruction  rather  than  at  a  banquet"  (Apol. 
100:39). 

What  Is  the  Place  of  the  Reading  of  the  Scripture  in 
Public  Worship?  In  the  early  Church  the  reading  of  the 
Scriptures  was  inherited  from  the  custom  in  the  Jewish 
synagogue.  At  first  the  Old  Testament  only  was  read,  with 
practical  exposition  and  applications.  Later  the  letters  of 
the  Apostles  were  added  as  giving  practical  advice.  As  the 
number  of  Christians  increased  who  had  no  personal  knowl- 
edge of  the  life  of  Jesus,  readings  from  the  Gospels  were 
added. 

The  formal  reading  of  Scripture  apart  from  interpreta- 
tion and  prayer  was  not  commonly  practiced  in  the  early 
Congregational  churches.  The  public  reading  of  a  portion 
of  Scripture  as  a  separate  part  of  public  worship  began  in 
the  First  Church  of  Salem  by  vote  of  December  27,  1736, 
and  in  the  Old  South  Church  in  Boston  on  April  24,  1737. 

That  there  was  occasional  reading  of  the  Scriptures  in 
other  churches  in  Boston  is  evident,  and  the  Brattle  Street 
Church  practiced  it  as  early  as  1701.  Chief  Justice  Samuel 
Sewall  left  his  own  church,  the  Old  South,  on  Sabbath, 
November  30,  partly  to  hear  Rev.  Eliphalet  Adams,  and 
partly  as  a  protest  against  his  own  minister,  Rev.  Josiah 
Willard,  who  had  cut  off  his  hair  and  was  wearing  a  wig. 
"He  that  condemns  the  Law  of  Nature  is  not  fit  to  be  a 
publisher  of  the  Law  of  Grace,"  wrote  the  judge,  as  a  cen- 
sure of  his  own  pastor;  and  he  recorded  in  his  diary  that 
Mr.  Coleman  read  distinctly  the  137th  and  138th  Psalms 
and  the  seventh  of  Joshua,  concerning  the  conviction,  sen- 
tence and  execution  of  Achan.  Mr.  Coleman  had  offered 
prayer  before  the  reading.  After  the  reading  they  sang  the 
second  part  of  the  69th  Psalm  to  Windsor  tune.  "Then 
Mr.  Adams  prayed  very  well,  and  more  largely;  and  gave 


368  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

very  good  sermon  from  Gal.  4:  18.  Mr.  Adams  gave  the 
blessing.  In  the  afternoon  Mr.  Adams  made  a  short  prayer, 
read  the  139th  Psalm  and  the  sixth  and  twentieth  chapters 
of  the  Acts.  Sung.  Mr.  Coleman  made  a  very  good  sermon 
from  Jer.  31 :  33.  Pray'd.  Sung.  Contribution.  Gave  the 
blessing.  I  perceive  by  several  that  Mr.  Coleman's  people 
were  much  gratified  to  see  me  there.  Several  considerable 
persons  expressed  themselves  so."  Thus  wrote  Judge 
Sewall,  less  offended  by  the  Brattle  Street  innovation  of 
public  scripture  reading  than  by  his  own  minister's  wear- 
ing of  a  "wigg." 

The  public  reading  of  the  Scriptures  had  been  opposed 
partly  because  it  savored  of  set  form,  and  partly  because 
it  was  deemed  better  to  have  Scripture  with  exposition  than 
without;  but  the  custom  spread  rapidly,  and  soon  public 
Bible  reading  was  the  custom  in  all  the  New  England 
churches. 

The  Beginning  of  Public  Scripture  Reading  as  a  Regular  Part 
of  Church  Service  in  Boston.  Lord's  Day,  April  24,  1737.  The 
Brethren  of  the  church  stay'd,  and  Voted. — That  the  Holy  Scrip- 
tures be  read  in  Public  after  the  first  Prayer  in  the  morning  and 
afternoon;  And  that  it  be  left  to  the  Pastors;  what  parts  of  Scrip- 
ture to  Read  and  what  to  Expound. — Records  of  the  Old  South. 
May  1.  We  began  the  Public  Reading  of  the  Scriptures.  I  read 
I  chap.  Genesis.  Mr.  Prince  read  I  chap.  Matthew.  I  spake  a 
few  words  by  way  of  Exposition  and  Exhortation.  Then  preach'd 
from  I  Thes.  5:27,  "I  charge  you  by  the  Lord,  that  this  epistle  be 
read  to  all  the  holy  brethren." — Rev.  Joseph  Sewall:  quoted  in  Ham- 
ilton Hill's  History  of  the  Old  South,  Vol.  I,  p.  480. 

Scriptiu-e  Reading  in  Salem.  Voted,  that  the  Scriptures  be  read 
as  part  of  the  Public  worship. — Records  of  the  First  Church  at  its 
re-organization,  Dec.  26,  1736. 

What  Is  the  Office  of  Prayer  in  Public  Worship  ?  Prayer 
in  its  various  forms  of  petition,  intercession  and  thanksgiv- 
ing was  practiced  in  the  early  Church  from  the  beginning. 
It  was  inherited  from  Judaism  and  sanctioned  by  the  custom 
of  Jesus  and  the  Apostles.  Public  prayer  has  always  had  a 
prominent  place  in  public  worship  in  Congregational 
churches. 

Public  Prayer.     Extempore  prayer  has  been  the  general  custom 


SERVICES   AND    CEREMONIES  369 

with  our  ministers,  sometimes  too  unstudied  and  left  too  much  to 
the  impulse  of  the  time.  Some  of  our  most  thoughtful  and  con- 
scientious pastors  have  made  a  study  of  liturgical  forms,  and  out  of 
their  familiarity  with  them  have  either  lifted  their  own  expression 
to  a  higher  level  or  occasionally  have  enriched  the  service  by  the 
use  of  prayers  which  have  come  to  be  the  possession  of  the  Church 
Universal.  Familiarity  with  the  prayers  of  the  Psalms  and  other 
Scriptures  and  with  later  forms  of  devotional  literature  cannot  be 
too  strongly  commended. — Boynton:  The  Congregational  Way,  p.  62. 

May  Written  or  Printed  Prayers  Be  Used  by  Congrega- 
tionalists?  Congregationalists  recognize  the  liberty  of  each 
Christian  and  each  local  church  to  pray  in  any  manner  that 
ministers  to  the  spiritual  life.  The  contention  of  the  early 
Puritans  was  not  that  prescribed  prayers  were  in  themselves 
sinful,  but  that  no  civil  or  ecclesiastical  body  had  power  to 
prescribe  a  form  of  prayer  which  must  be  used.  Although 
some  of  the  Puritans  went  to  the  extreme  of  denouncing  all 
written  or  printed  prayers,  their  general  contention  was  not 
that  these  are  unlawful,  but  that  they  are  unprofitable. 

Any  Congregational  church  is  at  liberty  to  make  such 
use  as  it  desires  of  the  liturgy  which  we  have  inherited  in 
the  Book  of  Common  Prayer  and  otherwise.  The  historical 
attitude  of  this  denomination,  however,  has  been  one  of 
consistent  protest,  first  against  the  right  of  any  external 
authority  to  impose  a  formal  prayer,  and  secondly,  against 
the  habitual  use  of  any  form  in  a  manner  that  hampers  the 
free  spirit  of  worship. 

Christ  Made  No  Prayer-Book.  Christ  never  provided  a  prayer- 
book,  but  a  Bible  for  his  people. — Cotton  Mather. 

Not  a  Sin,  But  Not  So  Profitable.  Every  form  of  prayer  pre- 
scribed by  men  is  not  absolutely  nor  simply  a  sin;  yet  ...  it 
is  not  so  profitable,  but  rather  hurtful,  in  many  cases  of  it,  as  mak- 
ing holy  zeal  and  other  gifts  of  the  Spirit  in  many  to  languish. — 
Confession  of  Jacob's  Church. 

We  practice,  without  condemning  others,  what  all  sides  do 
allow,  public  prayers  by  ministers  out  of  their  own  gifts. — The 
Apologetical  Narrative. 

Worship  Must  Be  Natural.  Now,  above  all,  worship  must  be 
natural.  Provided  that  the  form  of  worship  expresses  most  nat- 
urally the  feelings  of  the  congregation,  no  sensible  man  will  be 
disposed  (unless  it  be  unlawful)  to  put  down,  though  he  may  de- 
plore, any  kind  of  service,  however  bold  or  florid,  unattractive  or 
sensuous,  it  may  seem  to  him.     It  is  better  that  the  children  of 


370  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

men  should  speak  to  their  Divine  Father,  as  to  their  human  fathers, 
naturally  though  wrongly,  than  rightly  but  unnaturally, — W.  L. 
Clay:  Essays  on  Church  Policy,  London,  1868. 

Free  from  Bondage  to  a  "Stinted  Liturgy."  To  conclude,  seeing 
our  Christian  liberty  frees  us  from  binding  our  seWes  to  any 
religious  observances,  wherunto  the  written  Word  doth  not  bind 
us;  and  seeing  spirituall  prudence  directs  us  to  chuse  those  wayes 
which  on  all  hands  are  confessed  to  be  safe,  avoiding  those  that 
are  doubtfuU  and  hazardous,  and  seeing  it  will  not  be  safe  for  us 
needlessly  to  swerve  from  the  constant  practise  of  all  Churches 
that  are  recorded  in  the  Scriptures,  that  held  forth  as  a  cloud  of 
witnesses  for  us  to  follow  in  matters  of  this  nation;  we  therefore, 
may  not,  do  not,  dare  not,  use  that  forme  of  prayer,  and  stinted 
Liturgie  in  those  Churches;  more  particularly  in  that  we  do  not 
use  that  Forme  of  Prayer  and  stinted  Liturgie  which  is  in  use 
among  your  selves:  this  and  such  other  like  Reasons  have  induced 
us  thereunto. — Richard  Mather:  Church-government  and  Church- 
covenant  discussed,  London,  1643,  p.  57. 

What  Is  the  Use  of  Singing  in  the  Church?  Early 
Christian  songs  were  largely  taken  from  the  Psalms,  but 
hymns  came  to  be  composed  very  early,  and  of  the  making 
of  hymn  books  there  is  no  end.  There  wrere  many  conten- 
tions in  the  Puritan  churches  as  to  whether  unconverted 
persons  ought  to  be  permitted  to  join  in  the  singing  of 
Christian  hymns,  and  whether  hymns  other  than  those 
found  in  the  Bible  might  be  sung.  It  is  the  judgment  of 
Congregational  churches  that  singing  should  be  joined  in 
by  the  whole  congregation  and  that  free  use  should  be  made 
of  the  poetry  of  the  church  in  all  ages. 

Ought  Unconverted  Persons  to  Sing  in  Church  Choirs? 
The  question  whether  unconverted  persons  ought  to  be  em- 
ployed in  church  choirs  is  a  question  not  always  easy  to 
decide.  Church  singers  should  be  regarded  as  leaders  of 
public  worship  and  on  no  account  should  irreverent  or  un- 
godly people  be  employed  in  this  sacred  work.  It  need  not 
always  be  maintained,  however,  that  a  church  singer  must 
of  necessity  be  a  member  of  the  church. 

What  Is  the  Place  of  Preaching  in  Christian  Worship? 
In  the  New  Testament  churches  preaching  had  a  foremost 
place.  The  sermon  was  commonly  a  missionary  address, 
exhorting  to  confession  of  sin,  the  new  life  in  Christ  and 
steadfastness  of  conduct  in  the  Christian  way.    It  was  by 


SERVICES   AND    CEREMONIES  371 

what  seemed  the  foolishness  of  preaching  that  the  apostles 
expected  the  conversion  of  the  world  to  Christ.  Preaching 
has  always  received  a  special  emphasis  in  the  Congrega- 
tional churches.  It  has  been  maintained  that  Christian  con- 
gregations needed  instruction  from  the  Lord,  and  also  from 
godly  and  learned  men  through  whose  testimony  obedience 
and  faith  are  inspired  in  the  hearts  of  the  hearers. 

What  Is  the  Congregational  Doctrine  of  the  Sabbath? 
The  Congregational  churches  believe  in  the  Christian  Sab- 
bath, commonly  called  the  Lord's  Day  or  Sunday,  as  a  day 
of  rest  and  worship.  It  is  not  regarded  as  a  day  of  bondage, 
but  of  spiritual  privilege.  But  the  law  of  Christian  liberty 
is  not  license  to  disregard  an  institution  established  of  God, 
and  justified  by  human  experience.  The  Sabbath  was  made 
for  man ;  and  the  method  of  its  observance  should  be  such 
as  to  promote  the  physical,  moral  and  spiritual  well  being 
of  men.  The  Church  may  well  expect  of  its  members  such 
an  observance  of  the  Lord's  Day  as  to  strengthen  their  in- 
fluence for  good  in  the  life  of  the  community. 

How  Do  Congregationalists  Regard  Prayer  Meetings? 
The  prayer  meeting  as  an  established  institution  took  its 
rise  in  the  notable  revivals  of  the  early  part  of  the  nine- 
teenth century.  As  now  observed  in  our  churches  it  is  less 
than  one  hundred  years  old.  It  has  proved  a  mighty  influ- 
ence for  good  and  its  decline  cannot  be  regarded  as  a  hope- 
ful sign  in  any  church.  It  need  not  be  inferred,  however, 
that  the  prayer  meeting  must  remain  unmodified  or  that  it 
must  be  conducted  along  precisely  the  lines  that  have  char- 
acterized its  development  in  the  past.  Some  form  of  meet- 
ing should  be  continued  in  which  the  voice  of  the  church 
membership  is  heard  and  in  which  there  is  opportunity  for 
conference  and  prayer. 

The  weekly  prayer  meeting  of  the  church  is  also  its 
ordinary  business  meeting.  Nearly  all  business  in  a  local 
church  can  be  transacted  at  any  regular  prayer  meeting, 
though  special  business  should  require  public  notice.  The 
proposed  call  of  a  pastor  or  the  termination  of  a  pastorate, 


372  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

the  purchase  or  sale  of  real  estate,  or  the  appropriation  of 
any  considerable  sum  of  money,  excepting  for  ordinary  re- 
pairs, are  obvious  exceptions  and  should  not  be  undertaken 
without  previous  notice  or  careful  conformity  to  some  estab- 
lished rule  of  the  church. 

How  Do  Congregationalists  Regard  the  Week  of 
Prayer?  The  Week  of  Prayer,  first  proposed  by  the  Evan- 
gelical Alliance  in  1859,  became  a  more  than  national  ob- 
servance, and  Congregationalists  have  heartily  joined  in  it. 
In  many  communities  the  opening  week  of  the  new  year 
has  proved  a  profitable  period  for  prayer  and  mediation;  in 
others  it  has  proved  less  favorable  because  of  severe 
weather,  the  pressure  of  business  incident  to  the  closing 
and  opening  year,  and  the  reaction  following  the  holidays. 

Do  Congregationalists  Observe  Holy  Days  or  Fast 
Days?  Congregationalists  are  at  liberty  to  observe  any 
religious  festivals  that  assist  their  spiritual  life.  This  they 
may  do  either  individually  or  by  congregations,  but  there 
is  no  authority  that  can  require  any  general  observance  of 
particular  religious  festivals  or  fasts  among  Congregation- 
alists. 

How  Do  Congregationalists  Regard  Easter  and  Christ- 
mas? The  early  Congregationalists  refused  to  observe 
either  Easter  or  Christmas,  counting  them  purely  human 
festivals  clearly  traceable  in  origin  to  the  heathen  religions. 
These  festivals  are  now  generally  observed  among  us,  not 
as  imposed  by  external  authority,  but  as  offering  particu- 
larly favorable  opportunities  for  the  celebration  of  the  birth 
and  resurrection  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  in  common  with  Chris- 
tians generally. 

How  Do  Congregationalists  Regard  Lent?  Congrega- 
tionalists regard  Lent  as  a  purely  human  institution,  resting 
on  no  divine  command  and  carrying  with  it  no  obligation 
which  one  Christian  individual  or  church  has  a  right  to 
impose  upon  another.  It  is  regarded,  however,  as  a  favor- 
able time  for  religious  emphasis,  a  time  when  social  life 
somewhat   abates    and   when    opportunity    is   afforded   for 


SERVICES  AND   CEREMONIES 373 

religious  instruction  preliminary  to  Easter  and  for  cate- 
chism classes  in  preparation  for  church  membership  on  the 
part  of  young  people. 

What  Is  the  Attitude  of  the  Church  Toward  Current 
Reforms?  The  Church  exists  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
welfare  of  humanity.  Nothing  that  relates  to  human  well 
being  is  foreign  to  its  interests.  It  is  the  duty  of  the  Church 
to  proclaim  the  Good  News  to  all  men,  to  support  the  insti- 
tutions of  charity  and  compassion,  and  to  labor  for  the 
spread  of  intelligence,  justice,  temperance,  peace,  and  right- 
eousness in  all  the  earth. 

It  is  not  to  be  understood,  however,  that  the  Church  is 
merely  a  platform  for  the  exploiting  of  all  possible  theories 
that  come  in  the  name  of  philanthropy  or  reform.  Those 
men  do  err,  not  knowing  the  Scripture,  who  assume  that 
the  chief  business  of  the  Church  of  Christ  is  to  conduct  a 
campaign  or  exploit  a  theory  of  sociology.  Reformers  have 
sometimes  been  justly  impatient  at  the  conservatism  of  the 
Church,  but  quite  as  often  have  shown  unwisdom  and  lack 
of  charity  in  their  harsh  judgments  of  a  conservatism  not 
wholly  unwise  or  unjustifiable.  It  is  a  fair  question  and 
one  that  cannot  be  settled  out  of  hand,  how  far  the  church 
as  a  church  ought  to  enter  into  questions  of  legislation  and 
political  controversies.  Errors  have  been  committed  in  both 
directions,  and  it  is  better  to  avoid  too  hasty  judgments. 
The  Church  is  in  the  world  for  the  sake  of  bringing  the 
world  to  Christ,  but  that  result  is  not  always  to  be  attained 
by  scheduled  program  and  machinery.  Not  by  saying  "Lo, 
here"  nor  "Lo,  there"  are  we  to  discover  the  kingdom  of 
Christ;  and  that  kingdom  often  sufifereth  violence  at  the 
hands  of  its  well-intentioned  or  over-zealous  friends,  whose 
first  love  is  for  some  particular  philanthropy  or  reform. 
One  needs  to  read  with  much  care  the  life  of  Jesus  in  his 
relation  to  the  various  reforms  and  evils  of  his  own  day. 
The  lesson  will  often  teach  us  greater  patience  and  less 
holy  violence. 

What   Is   the   Relation   of   the    Christian    Minister    to 


374         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

Marriage?  In  the  view  of  early  Congregationalists  mar- 
riage was  not  to  be  regarded  as  a  sacrament,  but  as  a  holy 
contract  between  one  man  and  one  woman  to  live  together 
as  husband  and  wife.  For  this  reason  it  was  often  held 
that  ministers  should  not  solemnize  marriages.  Not  until 
1692  did  the  Massachusetts  laws  provide  for  the  solemniza- 
tion of  marriages  by  ministers.  But  while  marriage  is  not 
a  sacrament,  it  is  much  more  than  a  civil  contract;  it  is  a 
solemn  service,  and  one  in  which  the  church  and  its  min- 
istry have  a  legitimate  and  helpful  share.  One  of  the  most 
important  of  all  present-day  questions  relates  itself  to  the 
greater  sanctity  of  the  home.  This  can  be  effected  only  by 
investing  marriage  with  greater  solemnity. 

A  minister  is  not  legally  necessary  to  the  solemnization 
of  marriages.  These  may  be  performed,  in  most  if  not  all 
states,  by  judges,  justices  of  the  peace,  and  others.  It  is 
not  only  allowable  but  eminently  desirable  that  matrimony 
should  be  regarded  as  a  sacred  institution  not  to  be  entered 
upon  lightly  or  unadvisedly,  but  reverently,  soberly,  dis- 
creetly, and  in  the  fear  of  God.  No  other  person  is  so  well 
fitted  as  the  pastor  to  solemnize  this  holy  institution.  A 
minister  who  performs  a  marriage  acts  as  an  officer  of  the 
court  as  well  as  a  representative  of  the  Church,  and  should 
be  scrupulously  careful  to  conform  to  all  the  laws  of  the 
state  in  which  the  marriage  is  solemnized.  From  the  court 
he  receives  the  document  which  evidences  his  authority, 
and  to  the  court  he  must  make  legal  certificate. 

Who  May  Solemnize  Marriages?  Marriage  laws  differ 
in  the  several  states,  but  commonly  no  minister  of  the 
gospel  is  permitted  to  solemnize  a  marriage  until  he  has 
been  ordained  according  to  the  customs  of  his  denomination. 
In  a  few  states  a  licentiate  may  solemnize  a  marriage,  but 
Congregational  practice  is  not  favorable  to  this  method,  and 
in  most  states  a  Congregational  licentiate  attempting  to 
perform  a  marriage  will  expose  himself  to  fine  and  perhaps 
imprisonment. 

What    Should    Be    the    Minister's    Attitude    Toward 


SERVICES   AND    CEREMONIES  375 

Divorce?  Christian  ministers  ought  to  discourage  divorce 
and  seek  in  every  reasonable  way  to  maintain  the  sanctity 
of  the  home.  They  should  refuse  to  remarry  divorced  per- 
sons whose  separations  have  occasioned  scandal,  or  whose 
re-marriage  would  tend  to  lessen  the  sanctity  of  the  mar- 
riage relation.  It  is  not  commonly  held,  however,  by  Con- 
gregational ministers  that  no  divorced  persons  should  re- 
marry, or  that  the  minister  should  in  every  case  refuse  to 
marry  where  legal  and  moral  requirements  appear  to  have 
been  met. 

In  What  Form  Should  Marriage  Be  Performed?     No 

particular  form  of  words  is  legally  necessary  to  the  solemni- 
zation of  a  marriage.  Two  persons  having  a  marriage 
license,  who  stand  before  a  Christian  minister  and  in  the 
presence  of  witnesses  take  each  other  as  husband  and  wife, 
become  so  by  any  form  of  words  or  act  wherein  they  man- 
ifest their  intention ;  nevertheless  it  is  appropriate  that  such 
a  relation  should  be  entered  into  with  dignified  forms  of 
service. 

Suitable  forms  will  be  found  in  the  author's  Congregational 
Manual,  pp.  285-292. 

Is  a  Marriage  Valid  Performed  Without  License?     A 

marriage  performed  by  a  minister  without  license  is  legally 
valid,  but  the  minister  himself  is  subject  to  fine  or  imprison- 
ment. 

Is  a  Marriage  Valid  When  Performed  as  a  Joke?  No 
marriage  ought  ever  to  be  performed  as  a  joke,  and  no 
Christian  minister  should  have  any  share  in  so  undignified, 
unworthy,  and  dangerous  a  farce.  Marriages  performed  as 
a  joke  have  often  been  decided  valid  in  the  eyes  of  the 
law,  and  have  occasioned  great  trouble  and  disgrace  to  those 
engaged  in  them. 

Should  Ministers  Conduct  Funerals?  Funeral  services 
should  be  conducted  by  ministers  of  the  gospel.  This  was 
not  the  rule  of  the  Puritan  fathers.  Their  reaction  against 
the  forms  of  the  Established  Church  led  them  to  protest 


376  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

against  all  religious  services  at  funerals,  but  this  was  an 
unreasonable  prohibition. 

The  First  Independent  Church  in  England  say,  in  their  Con- 
fession, art.  xxiii:  "Concerning  making  marriage,  and  burying  the 
dead,  we  believe  that  they  are  no  actions  of  a  church  minister, 
neither  are  ministers  called  to  any  such  business;  neither  is  there 
so  much  as  one  example  of  any  such  practice  in  the  whole  Book 
of  God,  either  under  the  law  or  under  the  gospel;  without  which 
warrant  we  believe  it  unlawful,  whatsoever  any  minister  doth,  at 
any  time  and  place,  especially  as  a  part  of  his  ministerial  office 
and  function."  Cotton  Mather,  in  his  Ratio  Disciplinse,  says  of 
the  New  England  practice:  "In  many  towns,  the  ministers  make 
agreeable  prayers  with  the  people,  come  together  at  the  house  to 
attend  the  funeral  of  the  dead,  and  in  some  they  make  a  short 
speech  at  the  grave:  in  other  places,  both  these  things  are  wholly 
omitted." — Cummings:   Congregational   Dictionary. 

May  a  Layman  Conduct  a  Funeral  Service?  Where  a 
minister  cannot  be  obtained,  a  layman  may  conduct  a 
funeral  service.  The  captain  of  a  ship,  the  teacher  of  a 
mission  school,  or  other  reputable  and  competent  person, 
may  read  the  burial  service  and  speak  such  words  of  con- 
solation as  are  appropriate. 

Forms  of  burial  services  may  be  found  in  the  Congregational 
Manual,  pp.  293-300. 

Should  Funeral  Services  Be  Conducted  in  the  Church 
Building?  The  church  building  is  the  spiritual  home  of  the 
members,  and  belongs  to  their  use  in  the  solemn  experiences 
of  life.  While  it  is  the  house  of  the  living  God  and  He  is 
the  God  of  the  living  and  not  of  the  dead,  it  is  fitting  that 
it  should  be  available  for  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  people. 
Few  private  houses  are  constructed  so  as  to  be  convenient 
places  for  funerals.  The  death  often  occurs  under  circum- 
stances which  involve  great  inconvenience  if  the  funeral 
service  is  to  be  held  there.  If  the  church  auditorium  is  too 
large,  the  church  vestry  or  lecture  room  may  suitably  be 
used  and  should  be  freely  offered  to  all  who  need  it.  The 
church  should  rejoice  with  those  who  rejoice  and  weep  with 
those  who  weep. 


XXIII.    THE  AUTHORITY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL 
CREEDS 

Is  There  a  Congregational  Creed?  There  is  no  creed 
which  Congregational  churches  are  bound  to  accept,  but 
there  are  creeds  which  Congregationahsts  receive  as  con- 
taining the  substance  of  doctrine  generally  accepted  among 
us.  These  written  symbols  are  of  value,  each  as  recording 
a  high  water  mark  of  Christian  opinion  of  the  age  in  which 
it  was  written.  Congregationahsts  claim  their  full  heritage 
in  the  common  creeds  of  Christendom.  All  these  are  ours. 
The  early  fathers,  the  great  leaders  of  the  Reformation,  and 
the  saints  and  scholars  of  the  past  are  part  of  our  priceless 
heritage.  All  of  them  expressed,  each  in  the  language  of 
his  own  time,  great  common  truths  of  the  Christian  faith. 
Congregationahsts  receive  these  creeds  and  later  creeds 
with  respect;  but  no  one  of  these,  either  ancient  or  modern, 
stands  in  such  authoritative  relation  to  our  Congregational 
system  that  it  can  be  imposed  upon  the  conscience  of  any 
Congregational  church  or  any  Congregational  worshiper. 

Platforms  and  Confessions.  We  hold  it  not  unlawful  to  have  a 
platform;  .  .  .  yet  we  see  no  ground  to  impose  such  a  platform 
on  churches,  but  leave  them  their  liberty  therein  (IVelde:  Answer 
to  Rathband,  in  Han.  ii,  296).  Rathband  wonders  "how  the  New 
England  churches  fell  into  so  exact  a  discipline  without  a  plat- 
form!" Welde  informs  him,  that  it  was  "because  they  had  their 
discipline  from  the  Scriptures,"  the  best  and  the  most  consistent 
directory  in  the  world. — Cummings:  Art.  Platforms. 

Platforms  and  confessions  were  never  set  up  as  standards 
.  .  .  they  are  lights,  which  all  are  free  to  use  or  not  as  they 
please. — Mitchell:   Guide,  Ivi. 

Samuel  Mather,  alone  of  all  the  Old  Congregational  authors 
to  my  knowledge,  maintains  that  the  Platform  is  "a  holy  pact  or 
covenant,"  renewed  and  transmitted  by  the  successive  councils, 
synods,  and  right  hands  of  fellowship,  performed  by  virtue  of  it; 
as  though  these  things  could  not  be  done,  according  to  the  Scrip- 
tures, agreeably  to  the  Platform,  without  receiving  the  whole  Plat- 
form as  a  code  of  ecclesiastical  laws.  His  reasoning  is  the  more 
remarkable,  considering  his  rigid  Congregationalism  and  lucid 
demonstrations  of  many  principles  totally  subversive  of  this.  His 
great-grandfather,  who  drafted  the  Cambridge  Platform,  held  sen- 
timents exactly  the  reverse  of  these. — Cummings:  Cong.  Diet.,  Plat- 
form. 


378  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

The  freedom  of  the  early  Congregational  churches  from 
credal  tests  for  membership  is  strikingly  illustrated  in  the 
fact  that  some  of  them  that  were  lost  to  the  denomination 
in  the  Unitarian  movement  have  never  changed  their  cov- 
enant from  that  of  their  Puritan  establishment,  and  could 
easily  become  orthodox  churches  again  with  no  further 
change  of  covenant.  A  committee  appointed  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  American  Unitarian  Association  in  1900  to 
inquire  as  to  covenants  in  use  in  Unitarian  churches  found 
that  in  a  very  large  proportion  the  covenant,  with  a  mem- 
bership distinct  from  that  of  the  parish  or  congregation,  had 
lapsed;  but  said: 

A  new  conception  of  church  membership,  in  our  branch  of  the 
Congregational  Church  at  least,  has  been  adopted.  To  those  who 
arc  acquainted  with  the  evolution  of  New  England  Congregation- 
alism, it  will  not  be  called  a  new  conception,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
a  return  to  that  plain  and  simple  and  absolutely  unaffected  religious 
attitude  which  characterized  the  first  churches  established  on  these 
coasts.  It  is  a  curious  and  important  fact  that,  during  the  first 
century  of  Puritanism  in  New  England,  there  was  practically 
nothing  in  the  way  of  a  creed  which  the  churches  imposed  upon 
the  individual  by  any  ecclesiastical  authority.  The  First  covenant 
was  so  perfectly  free  from  all  cant  and  dogmatism  that  one  might 
imagine  it  to  be  the  bond  of  fellowship  of  one  of  our  latest  Uni- 
tarian movements.     It  says: 

"We  covenant  with  the  Lord,  and  one  with  another;  and  do 
bind  ourselves,  in  the  presence  of  God,  to  walk  together  in  all  his 
ways,  according  as  he  is  pleased  to  reveal  himself  unto  us  in  his 
Blessed  word  of  Truth." — p.  23. 

How  Are  Creeds  to  Be  Interpreted?  In  general,  a  creed 
is  to  be  interpreted  according  to  the  plain  and  reasonable 
understanding  of  its  words  used  in  their  ordinary  sense,  but 
this  statement  must  be  qualified  in  two  important  partic- 
ulars. First — Theology,  as  truly  as  any  other  science,  must 
make  use  of  technical  phrases,  and  words  used  in  Christian 
creeds  must  be  employed  with  the  full  breadth  of  interpre- 
tation which  applies  to  those  same  terms  in  theological  dis- 
cussion. Second — Every  creed  must  be  interpreted  in  the 
light  of  what  its  words  meant  to  those  who  used  them, 
and  also  in  the  light  of  what  is  now  seen  to  be  the  logical 
import  of  their  meaning  in  the  progress  of  Christian  truth. 

Henry  Ward   Beecher  illustrated   this  principle   in  his 


AUTHORITY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  CREEDS      379 

reply  to  the  question,  "Are  you  a  Calvinist?"  He  replied, 
"Yes,"  and  then  added,  "I  believe  what  Calvin  would  have 
believed  if  he  were  now  living."  Only  with  such  liberty  of 
interpretation  can  any  creed  which  originates  in  one  gen- 
eration be  offered  for  acceptance  by  another. 

Should  Creeds  Be  Used  as  Tests?  Creeds  should  not  be 
used  as  tests  of  fitness  for  church  membership.  They  may 
be  used,  however,  as  tentative  standards  by  which  to  judge 
of  the  soundness  of  a  teacher,  or  a  minister,  but  never  in 
such  use  is  it  to  be  implied  that  any  creed  represents  or 
ever  can  represent  a  finality  in  Congregationalism. 

Creed  Tests.  Confessions,  when  made  by  a  company  of  pro- 
fessors of  Christianity,  jointly  meeting  to  that  end,  the  most  gen- 
uine and  natural  use  of  such  confessions  is,  that,  under  the  form  of 
words,  they  express  the  substance  of  the  same  common  salvation. 
.  .  .  And,  accordingly,  such  a  transaction  is  to  be  looked  upon 
but  as  a  meet  or  fit  medium  whereby  to  express  that  their  common 
faith  and  salvation,  and  in  no  way  to  be  made  use  of  as  an  impo- 
sition upon  any.  Whatever  is  of  force  or  constraint,  in  matters 
of  this  nature,  causeth  them  to  degenerate  from  the  name  and 
nature  of  confessions,  and  turns  them  from  being  confessions  of 
faith  into  impositions  and  exactions  of  faith;  .  .  .  there  being 
nothing  that  tends  more  to  heighten  dissentions  among  brethren 
than  to  determine  and  adopt  the  matter  of  their  difference  under 
so  high  a  title  as  to  be  an  article  of  our  faith. — Preface  to  Savoy 
Confession. 

Churches  have  a  right  to  say  on  what  conditions  others,  either 
individuals  or  bodies  of  men,  shall  share  their  fellowship.  They 
can  enter  into  fellowship  with  others  with  whose  principles  they 
more  nearly  agree. — Upham:   Ratio  Disciplinse,  p.  57. 

This  reasoning  seems  to  hold  only  on  the  supposition  that 
churches  are  strictly  voluntary,  in  distinction  from  divinely  insti- 
tuted, bodies.  If  churches  are  of  divine  institution,  then  all  true 
Christians  have  a  right  to  share  in  them  all  the  privileges  of  the 
sons  of  God.  It  is  their  Father's  table  and  their  Father's  church; 
and  what  right  have  their  brethren  to  debar  them? — Cummings: 
Cong.  Diet.,  "Confessions  of  Faith;  Their  Use  and  Abuse." 

Freedom  in  Organization,  And  so  a  people  may  erect  and 
establish  what  forme  of  Government  seems  to  them  most  meetc 
for  their  civill  condition  .  .  .  and  so  undeniably  it  follows  that 
a  people  as  a  people  naturally  considered  (of  what  nature  and 
nation  soever  in  Europe,  Asia,  Africa  or  America)  have  funda- 
mentally and  originally,  as  men,  a  power  to  govern  the  Church, 
to  see  her  doe  her  duty,  to  correct  her,  to  redresse,  reform,  estab- 
lish, etc.— Roger  Williams:  The  Bloudy  Tenet,  p.  137. 

The  Puritans  and  Their  Neighbors.  Neither  is  it  true  that  vre 
suffer  no  man  of  any  diflferent  Conscience  or  worship  to  live  in  our 
Jurisdiction.     For  not  to   speake  of   Presbyterians,  who   doe  not 


380  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

only  live  among  us  but  exercise  their  publick  Ministry  without 
disturbance,  there  be  Anabaptists,  and  Antinomians  tolerated  to 
live  not  only  in  our  jurisdiction,  but  even  in  some  of  our  churches. 
—John  Cotton:  The  Bloudy  Tenet  Washed,  p.  169. 

Liberty  of  Conscience.  But  we  readily  grant  you,  libertie  of 
conscience  is  to  be  granted  to  men  that  fear  God  indeed,  as  know- 
ing they  will  not  persist  in  heresie,  or  turbulent  schisme,  when 
they  are  convinced  in  conscience  of  the  sinfulness  thereof. 

But  the  question  is  whether  an  Herotique  after  once  or  twice 
admonished  (and  so  after  conviction)  or  any  other  scandalous  or 
heinous  offender,  may  be  tolerated  either  in  the  church  without 
excommunication,  or  in  the  commonwealth,  without  such  punish- 
ment as  may  preserve  others,  from  dangerous  and  damnable  infec- 
tion. This  much  I  thought  needful  to  be  spoken. — John  Cotton:  The 
Controversie  Concerning  Liberty  of  Conscience  in  Matters  of 
Religion,  1646,  p.  14. 

May  a  Minister  Be  Expelled  for  Heresy?  Heresy  trials 
among  us  are  happily  rare.  We  stand  historically  for 
freedom  of  thought  and  utterance.  A  pastor  is  expected  to 
accept  for  substance  of  doctrine  the  creed  of  the  church  of 
which  he  is  pastor,  and  to  teach  no  views  in  essential  dis- 
regard of  that  creed.  But  a  creed  is  the  opinion  of  men, 
usually  dead,  and  at  every  point  in  a  minister's  life  he  is  at 
liberty  to  ask  that  his  own  opinions,  as  those  of  a  living 
man,  be  weighed  in  an  even  balance  with  the  opinions  of 
dead  men  expressed  in  creeds.  He  has  as  good  a  right  to 
make  a  creed  as  any  dead  man  had  while  living,  and  more 
right  to  ask  for  its  consideration  in  the  present  than  any 
dead  man  has  to  insist  that  his  creed  shall  continue  to  rule 
the  opinions  of  men  who  are  now  as  much  alive  as  he  was 
when  he  wrote  his  creed.  But  unless  the  minister  can  con- 
vince his  church  that  its  creed  is  wrong,  he  must  either  con- 
form his  teaching  to  the  creed  which  the  living  members 
insist  upon  maintaining  as  the  creed  of  the  church,  or  he 
must  go  elsewhere.  He  cannot  be  driven  out  for  a  minor 
difference  of  opinion ;  there  must  be  an  essential  and  harm- 
ful departure  from  fundamental  Christian  faith. 

In  theory  Congregational  churches  require  of  their  min- 
isters only  such  statements  of  faith  as  they  require  of  other 
members.  But  practically  a  minister  must  be  expected  to 
possess  a  larger  faith  than  the  church  requires  of  its  hum- 
bler members. 


AUTHORITY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  CREEDS      381 

A  Minister's  Faith.  It  has  been  contended  that  the  only  quali- 
fication for  church  membership  is  personal  faith  in  Christ;  but 
this  is  not  the  only  qualification  for  church  office.  To  decline  to 
admit  a  man  into  the  church  on  the  ground  of  erroneous  opinions 
which  are  not  inconsistent  with  Christian  Faith  would  be  a  viola- 
tion of  the  laws  of  Christ  and  of  the  obligations  of  Christian 
brotherhood;  but  in  appointing  a  minister  the  church  is  bound  to 
consider  not  only  whether  his  personal  faith  in  Christ  is  sincere, 
but  whether,  in  its  judgment,  he  is  a  competent  teacher  of  Chris- 
tian truth.  It  has  to  rely  on  him  for  a  larger  knowledge  of  the 
Christian  revelation  and  for  the  expression  and  discipline  of  its 
devotional  life;  if  he  holds  any  grave  errors,  if  he  has  an  imperfect 
apprehension  of  any  of  the  great  facts  of  the  Christian  Gospel,  he 
cannot  render  them  this  service. 

If,  after  the  election  of  a  minister,  it  is  discovered  that  his 
religious  faith  differs  widely  from  the  religious  faith  of  the  church, 
if  on  doctrinal  questions  of  serious  weight  the  church  believes 
that  he  is  in  serious  error,  the  church  has  authority  to  depose  him. 
His  deposition  for  such  a  cause  is  no  encroachment  on  the  rights 
of  conscience. 

The  church  has  its  rights  as  well  as  the  minister.  The  minister 
exists  for  the  church,  not  the  church  for  the  minister.  It  cannot 
be  seriously  maintained  that  the  principles  of  religious  freedom 
require  that  a  Christian  congregation  should  be  compelled  to  listen 
to  preaching  which  it  believes  to  be  out  of  harmony  with  the 
teaching  of  Christ  and  pernicious  to  its  own  religious  life;  or  that 
it  is  bound  to  provide  for  the  support  of  the  preacher.  This  would 
be  to  bind  the  church  in  chains  under  the  pretence  of  giving 
freedom  to  the  minister.  The  claims  of  freedom  are  satisfied  if  a 
minister  is  at  liberty  to  preach  to  whatever  congregation  is  willing 
to  receive  his  ministry. 

When  the  question  is  seriously  raised  whether  a  minister  is 
faithful  to  the  revelation  of  God  in  Christ,  the  church  should  be 
careful  to  distinguish  between  the  substance  of  the  revelation  and 
the  theological  forms  in  which  it  may  be  expressed;  between  the 
supreme  facts  of  the  Christian  Gospel  and  truths  of  a  secondary 
order.  The  same  truths  rarely  receive  the  same  intellectual  expres- 
sion in  two  successive  centuries,  and  a  man  may  have  a  deep  and 
earnest  faith  in  the  central  elements  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  who 
is  unable  to  give  assent  to  them  in  the  terms  to  which  his  church 
has  been  accustomed.  He  means  what  the  church  means,  but  he 
cannot  help  saying  it  in  a  different  way.  It  is  possible  that  such  a 
divergence  of  language  and  forms  of  thought  may  be  inconsistent 
with  his  religious  usefulness  as  pastor  of  that  particular  church; 
but  it  is  also  possible  that,  if  the  church  is  patient  and  trustful,  it 
will  discover  that  the  intellectual  method  of  the  minister  is  better 
than  its  own,  and  that  the  new  terms  in  which  the  great  Christian 
truths  are  stated  are  more  exact  than  the  old. 

When  what  are  regarded  as  the  doctrinal  errors  of  a  minister 
do  not  relate  to  the  central  truths  of  the  Christian  Faith,  there  is 
still  stronger  reason  for  patience  and  trust,  if  the  church  is  sure 
that  his  grasp  of  the  central  truths  themselves  is  vigorous  and  firm, 
and  if  it  is  conscious  of  receiving  spiritual  benefit  from  his  min- 
istry.    It  may  be  that  he  is  right  and  the  church  wrong.     He  has 


382         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

come  to  be  its  teacher,  and  it  should  assume  that  it  has  many- 
things  to  learn.  Or  it  may  be  that  in  time  the  minister  himself 
will  approximate  more  nearly  to  the  common  beliefs  of  the  church. 
Absolute  identity  of  theological  opinion  between  a  minister  and 
his  church  is  impossible  in  a  period  of  theological  transition  like 
our  own.  But  a  church  is  disloyal  to  Christ  if  it  endures  a  min- 
istry which  is  unfaithful  to  the  substance  of  the  Christian  Gospel. — 
Dale:  Handbook,  pp.  187-190. 

Christian  Liberty.  IL  God  alone  is  Lord  of  the  conscience, 
and  hath  left  it  free  from  the  doctrines  and  commandments  of 
men,  which  are  in  any  thing  contrary  to  his  word,  or  not  contained 
in  it;  so  that  to  believe  such  doctrines,  or  to  obey  such  commands 
out  of  conscience,  is  to  betray  true  liberty  of  conscience,  and  the 
requiring  of  an  implicit  faith,  and  an  absolute  and  blind  obedience, 
is  to  destroy  liberty  of  conscience,  and  reason  also. 

in.  They  who  upon  pretence  of  Christian  liberty  do  practise 
any  sin,  or  cherish  any  lust,  as  they  do  thereby  pervert  the  main 
design  of  the  grace  of  the  gospel  to  their  own  destruction,  so  they 
wholly  destroy  the  end  of  Christian  liberty,  which  is,  that  being 
delivered  out  of  the  hands  of  our  enemies,  we  might  serve  the 
Lord  without  fear,  in  holiness  and  righteousness  before  him  all  the 
days  of  our  life. — Boston  Confession  of  1680,  xxi,  2,  3. 

What  Are  the  Ethics  of  Creed  Subscription?  Congre- 
gationalists  have  comparatively  little  experience  in  creed 
interpretation.  They  are  little  given  to  the  habit  of  reciting 
old  creeds,  and  when  they  make  new  ones  they  regard  them 
as  instruments  whose  period  of  service  is  dependent  on  the 
extent  of  their  serviceability.  They  know  that  the  Apostles' 
Creed  did  not  originate  with  the  apostles,  nor  the  Nicene 
Creed  in  the  Council  of  Nice,  nor  the  Athanasian  Creed 
with  Athanasius,  and  they  hold  these  creeds  in  respect  be- 
cause of  their  antiquity,  their  spiritual  earnestness  and  the 
faith  which,  incompletely  and  faultily,  they  embody.  Con- 
gregationalists  do  not  stand  in  any  awe  of  these  symbols 
on  account  either  of  their  pseudo  titles  or  the  ill-merited 
infallibility  with  which  some  men  living  in  modern  times, 
but  thinking  in  ancient  terms,  have  ascribed  to  them.  When 
we  want  a  creed  we  make  one,  or  pick  up  almost  any  creed 
that  we  find  at  hand ;  use  it  so  long  as  it  rings  true  to  our 
thinking,  and  then  get  another  or  go  without.  We  can  live 
without  creeds,  and  be  little  the  worse,  and  possibly  the 
better  for  it. 

The  people  of  other  communions  who  continue  to  recite 


AUTHORITY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  CREEDS      383 

the  creeds  of  other  days  and  yet  hold  to  the  faith  of  the 
age  in  which  they  live  have  learned  an  art  of  interpretation 
almost  unknown  to  us.  They  make  the  ancient  form  a 
vehicle  for  the  expression  of  their  modern  thought  and  feel- 
ing. 

For  instance,  their  creed  says,  "I  believe  in  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  body,"  and  these  men  believe  that  the  spiritual 
body  may  not  be  chemically  identical  with  the  material 
body  at  the  precise  moment  of  death,  even  as  that  body  is 
chemically  wholly  different  from  the  same  body  seven  years 
before.  So  they  ask  themselves,  "What  did  the  ancients 
mean  by  the  resurrection  of  the  body?"  And  they  answer, 
"The  preservation  of  identity  of  personality." 

Now,  their  men  believe  in  the  preservation  of  identity  of 
personality,  and  know  what  the  ancients  did  not  know,  that 
personality  can  survive  complete  physical  change.  Hence, 
they  continue  to  recite,  "I  believe  in  the  resurrection  of 
the  body,"  and  leave  the  mystery  to  God. 

We  Congregationalists  have  not  accustomed  ourselves 
to  quite  such  mental  agility  as  these  interpretations  require. 
We  have  no  occasion  to  sit  in  judgment  on  other  denom- 
inations in  which  this  careful  credal  analysis  has  become 
a  fine  art,  and  an  almost  necessary  one.  But  we  do  need  to 
remember  that  if  we  are  to  use  ancient  creeds  at  all  we 
must  reserve  to  ourselves  all  the  liberty  which  our  Congre- 
gational fathers  reserved  to  themselves  and  to  us,  in  such 
flexible  phrases  "for  substance  of  doctrine," 

That  is  an  elastic  phrase,  and  was  intended  so  to  be. 
Only  by  reason  of  its  elasticity  would  our  fathers  consent 
to  use  creeds  at  all.  It  is  not  the  form,  but  the  faith  which 
is  vital  in  any  creed.  It  is  not  the  outward  sound,  but  the 
inward  substance,  of  faith  which  makes  a  creed  other  than 
an  intolerable  fetter. 

We  Congregationalists  do  not  seek  to  encumber  our 
children  with  a  yoke  which  neither  we  nor  our  fathers  were 
able  to  bear,  but  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  wherewith  Christ 
hath  made  us  free.    The  creeds  are  a  testimony,  not  a  test, 


384  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

and  we  subscribe  to  them  for  the  substance  of  their  doc- 
trine. 

What  Creeds  Have  Grown  Out  of  Congregationalism? 
The  early  Congregational  churches  generally  accepted  the 
Savoy  Confession,  using  it,  however,  with  considerable  lati- 
tude. The  first  notable  attempt  on  this  continent  to  formu- 
late a  confession  for  use  in  the  Congregational  churches 
was  the  Cambridge  Platform  of  1648.  This  was  a  confes- 
sion both  of  faith  and  polity.  The  first  Confession  of  Faith 
that  received  any  general  acceptance  among  Congregation- 
alists  in  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century  was  the 
Burial  Hill  Declaration  of  Faith,  presented  to  the  Boston 
National  Council  of  1865  on  the  occasion  of  its  visit  to 
Plymouth.  This  was  accepted  as  a  fitting  presentation  of 
the  sentiments  of  the  time  and  place  and  of  the  broad  prin- 
ciples of  the  Congregational  denomination.  It  was  consid- 
ered too  rhetorical,  however,  for  use  as  a  Confession  of 
Faith  and  its  reference  to  ancient  creeds  was  both  too  indefi- 
nite and  too  sweeping  to  meet  with  universal  approval. 

The  National  Council  of  1880  appointed  a  committee  of 
seven  to  select  twenty-five  commissioners,  representing 
different  shades  of  thought  and  different  sections  of  the 
country,  to  prepare  a  Confession  of  Faith.  This  Commis- 
sion was  instructed  to  report  not  to  the  Council  but  direct 
to  the  churches,  their  report  "to  carry  such  weight  of 
authority  as  the  character  of  the  Commission  and  the  in- 
trinsic merit  of  their  expositions  of  truth  may  command." 

The  result  of  their  deliberations  was  published  Decem- 
ber 19,  1883,  twenty-two  out  of  twenty-five  of  the  commis- 
sioners signing  the  report.  The  creed  of  1883  proved  very 
useful  as  a  declaration  of  the  things  most  surely  believed 
among  us. 

The  full  text  of  these  and  other  notable  confessions  of  faith 
may  be  found  in  "Creeds  and  Platforms  of  Congregationalism," 
by  Professor  Williston  Walker,  D.  D. 

Objections  having  been  made  in  many  quarters  to  the 
Creed  of  1883,  a  more  simple  creed  appeared  to  be  desirable. 


AUTHORITY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  CREEDS      385 

A  brief  Confession  of  Faith  came  into  existence  in  an  un- 
looked-for way.  At  a  time  when  it  was  proposed  to  effect 
organic  union  between  Congregationalists,  Methodist  Prot- 
estants, and  the  United  Brethren,  the  representatives  of 
those  denominations  met  in  Dayton,  Ohio,  and  on  Febru- 
ary 9,  1906,  adopted  a  simple  Confession  of  Faith.  This 
Confession  met  with  favor  in  many  quarters  and  has  been 
adopted  by  a  number  of  churches. 

The  Commission  of  Nineteen  on  Polity,  which  reported 
to  the  National  Council  at  Kansas  City  in  1913,  placed  in 
the  preamble  of  the  Constitution  of  the  National  Council  a 
brief  confession  of  faith  of  less  than  two  hundred  words 
which  has  found  favor  in  different  quarters,  and  may  pos- 
sibly be  used  somewhat  more  widely  than  for  the  specific 
purpose  for  which  it  was  written. 

As  modified  in  its  opening  and  closing  sentences  for  use  in  a 
local  church,  it  is  found  in  the  Congregational  Manual,  pp.  229-230. 

Does  the  Preamble  Agree  with  the  Creed?  It  has  been 
charged  that  there  exists  an  inconsistency  between  the  pre- 
amble of  the  creed  of  the  National  Council  and  the  creed 
itself.  The  creed  is  modern  in  its  phraseology  and  forms  of 
thought,  while  the  preamble  declares  the  loyalty  of  the 
council  and  of  the  churches  composing  it  to  the  faith  which 
from  age  to  age  has  been  expressed  in  other  creeds. 

There  is  no  inconsistency  here,  nor  any  juggling  with 
words.  The  faith  which  is  confessed  is  the  faith  which  the 
creeds  have  contained ;  the  Council  did  not  confess  its  own 
faith  in  terms  of  those  creeds.  The  creeds  have  been  good, 
bad  and  indifferent,  and  there  is  not  one  of  them  by  which 
either  the  National  Council  or  the  churches  would  consent 
to  be  bound.  From  the  so-called  Apostles'  Creed,  which 
the  apostles  did  not  make,  and  the  so-called  Nicene  Creed, 
which  the  Nicene  Council  did  not  make,  and  the  so-called 
Athanasian  Creed,  which  Athanasius  did  not  make,  down 
through  all  the  centuries,  creeds  have  been  adopted  or  have 
come  into  use  without  adoption,  bearing  in  their  phrase- 


386  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

ology  the  unmistakable  evidence  of  human  judgment, 
human  devotion  and  human  error.  There  never  yet  has 
been  a  creed  that  was  good  enough  for  its  ov^n  age ;  much 
less  has  there  ever  been  one  that  was  adequate  to  express 
the  faith  of  a  subsequent  age. 

But  as  there  is  a  Law  which  is  greater  than  the  sum  of 
all  particular  laws,  and  which  would  remain,  not  indeed 
unimpaired,  but  still  incontestably  valid,  if  all  statutes  and 
particular  enactments  were  repealed  one  by  one  till  none 
remained,  so  there  is  a  credal  faith  that  is  greater  than  any 
particular  creed,  or  than  all  creeds  together.  If  all  creeds 
were  to  pass  away  that  faith  might  suffer  through  the  impli- 
cations of  their  repeal  or  neglect,  but  the  faith  which  was 
before  the  creeds  would  not  of  necessity  die  with  the  creeds, 
though  something  of  it  is  expressed  in  every  creed. 

This  is  the  faith  confessed  in  the  preamble  of  the  Con- 
stitution of  the  National  Council.  It  binds  neither  the 
Council  nor  any  of  the  churches  to  the  ipsissima  verba  of 
any  creed;  but  it  declares  that  through  all  the  Christian 
ages  there  has  existed  a  vital  faith  which  heroes  and  mar- 
tyrs have  spoken  out,  and  have  spoken  unitedly  in  terms  of 
the  creeds  of  their  own  generation. 

To  that  faith  the  National  Council  and  the  churches 
profess  allegiance.  But  as  for  the  creeds  in  which  that  faith 
was  expressed,  they  have  so  much  weight  and  force  as  there 
is  weight  and  force  in  the  reason  of  them. 

This  is  an  entirely  consistent  attitude  toward  the  faith 
of  the  present,  the  past  and  the  future.  Not  only  so,  but 
it  is  the  historic  Congregational  attitude  toward  that  funda- 
mental faith  which  expresses  itself  through  creeds  and  out- 
lasts all  creeds.  They  do  err,  not  knowing  the  history  of 
the  Congregational  churches,  nor  the  spirit  of  the  Congre- 
gational movement,  who  see  an  inconsistency  between  the 
adoption  of  a  new  creed  and  a  confession  of  steadfast  loy- 
alty to  the  faith  which  from  age  to  age  has  expressed  itself 
in  other  creeds. 

However  well  a  small  company  of  men  may  intend  who 


AUTHORITY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  CREEDS      387 

would  lay  hold  on  the  language  of  the  preamble  to  bind 
the  faith  of  the  present  to  the  obsolete  forms  of  expression 
in  the  creeds  of  the  past,  their  contention  is  thoroughly 
illogical,  and  is  opposed  to  the  whole  genius  of  Congrega- 
tionalism. 

All  creeds  are  ours,  the  Creed  of  1883,  the  Burial  Hill 
Confession,  the  Confessions  of  1648  and  1680,  the  Nicene 
Creed,  the  Apostles'  Creed,  and  Paul,  and  Cephas,  and 
Apollos,  and  life  and  death,  and  things  present  and  things 
to  come. 

Nor  does  any  church  exceed  its  rights  in  adopting  the 
Kansas  City  Creed  without  the  preamble.  If  every  church 
in  America  but  one  were  to  adopt  the  new  creed  and  pre- 
amble together,  and  that  one  remaining  church  should  pre- 
fer to  adopt  the  same  confession  without  the  preamble,  it 
would  have  an  entire  right  to  do  so,  and  there  is  no  power 
on  earth,  civil  or  ecclesiastical,  that  would  have  the  right 
to  call  it  to  account  or  charge  it  with  having  exceeded  its 
rights  or  departed  from  the  Congregational  faith. 

The  National  Council  saw  fit  to  express  its  faith  in  a 
new  and  brief  confession,  and  at  the  same  time  to  declare 
that  the  faith  it  was  now  confessing  was  the  essential  faith 
which  had  been  variously  expressed  in  former  ages.  The 
confession  and  the  preamble  are  consistent,  and  for  the 
purpose  of  their  adoption  by  the  National  Council  are  desir- 
able. The  suggestion  that  no  church  has  a  right  to  adopt 
the  one  without  the  other  is  preposterous.  The  fathers 
whose  faith  some  men  misguidedly  seek  to  honor  through 
such  an  enchainment  of  the  living  to  the  dead  would  rise 
from  their  graves  and  rebuke  us.  It  was  their  solemn 
charge  to  us  to  go  forward  as  they  went  forward,  being 
persuaded  that  God  had  yet  very  much  light  and  truth  to 
break  from  his  Word. 

The  position  of  the  National  Council  with  reference 
to  its  own  recent  declaration  of  faith,  and  at  the  same  time 
to  historic  creeds,  is  not  changed  in  any  essential  particular 
from  the  attitude  which  it  took  toward  creeds  in  the  be- 


388  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

ginning.  Although  the  official  call  of  the  first  National 
Council  at  Oberlin  contained  a  specific  provision  that  the 
Burial  Hill  Confession  should  be  the  doctrinal  basis  of  the 
Council,  the  Council  itself  deleted  that  provision  from  the 
proposed  draft  of  its  constitution.  As  to  the  extent  to  which 
the  Council  committed  itself  to  declarations  "sufficiently  set 
forth  by  former  General  Councils,"  the  statement  of  Dr. 
Quint,  which  also  represented  the  view  of  the  Moderator, 
Dr.  Buddington,  may  be  regarded  as  decisive.  There  were 
those  who  affirmed  that  by  this  statement  the  old  confes- 
sions were  repudiated,  inasmuch  as  the  Council  had  definite- 
ly refused  to  accept  the  Plymouth  Declaration,  with  its  ref- 
erence to  the  Confessions  of  1648  and  1680.  There  were 
others  who  said  that  both  these  and  all  other  creeds  had 
been  reaffirmed  at  Oberlin.  Dr.  Quint  in  an  able  article  in 
The  Congregational  Quarterly  for  January,  1872,  refuted 
both  these  extreme  and  untenable  views.     He  said: 

It  implies  a  reaffirmation  of  what  has  been  "set  forth  by  former 
General  Councils"  so  far  as  they  declare  the  common  evangelical 
doctrines.  It  is  really  a  declaration  of  adherence  to  the  historic 
faith  of  the  Church  of  Christ  as  being  a  sufficient  basis  of  denomi- 
national unity.  This  does  not  alter  the  faith  of  any  church.  Every 
one  will  hold  the  evangelical  doctrines  to  its  own  preferred  cast.  It 
does  not  mean  a  compromise,  which  is  to  omit  everything  to  which 
any  individual  Christian  objects.  Variations  from  the  well  known 
common  faith  of  the  Christian  church  are  left  to  their  own  ad- 
herents. This  is  a  broad  catholic  basis.  We  do  not  bind  our- 
selves by  any  provincial  creeds  or  teachers.  Instead  of  throwing 
away  the  substance  of  any  confession,  we  really  recognize  the  es- 
sential faith  of  the  Christian  Church  which  is  in  all  confessions. — 
Congregational  Quarterly,  Vol.  XIV.,  pp.  70,  71. 

Dr.  Quint  further  affirmed  that  what  the  Council  was 
undertaking  to  do  was  not  to  provide  "an  exhaustive  state- 
ment," but  to  define  "a  basis  of  union." 

This  is  precisely  what  the  Council  did  at  Kansas  City. 
It  incorporated  into  its  Constitution  a  brief  yet  sufficient 
statement  of  the  great  central  truths  which  the  Congrega- 
tional churches  assume  as  the  basis  of  their  organization  in 
National  Council ;  and  furthermore,  the  Council  declared 
that  the  faith  which  this  short  creed  reiterates  has  been  de- 
clared "from  age  to  age"  throughout  the  history  of  the 


AUTHORITY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  CREEDS      389 

Christian  Church.  The  two  affirmatives  are  thoroughly 
consistent.  They  declare  the  steadfast  allegiance  of  our 
churches  to  that  essential  faith  which  is  in  all  creeds,  but 
neither  in  1871  nor  in  1913  did  the  Council  bind  itself  to 
any  ancient  creed.  We  stand  fast  in  the  liberty  where- 
with Christ  hath  made  us  free. 

Is  a  Creed  Essential  to  a  Congregational  Church?  A 
creed  is  not  essential  to  a  Congregational  church.  When  a 
creed  exists,  it  should  be  interpreted  with  very  great  liber- 
ality as  indicating  in  the  most  general  terms  the  spirit  in 
which  the  members  of  that  church  interpret  the  Word  of 
God,  but  that  Word  itself  illumined  by  the  Holy  Spirit  in 
the  hearts  of  the  members  is  the  final  authority.  A  creed 
may  be  very  useful  as  a  testimony,  but  not  as  a  test. 

Congregational  Creeds.  It  is  customary  for  a  Congregational 
church  to  adopt  a  creed,  as  an  expression  of  the  beliefs  in  which 
its  members  agree  and  as  the  basis  of  their  common  life.  Ther 
may  adopt  some  form  of  sound  words  prepared  by  others,  or  they 
may  phrase  a  creed  for  themselves.  There  is  no  Congregational 
creed  prepared  or  adopted  by  a  general  council  which  all  churches 
in  the  fellowship  must  adopt.  In  the  early  days  that  generally 
assented  to  was  the  Westminster  Confession  as  modified  in  the 
Savoy  Confession  (1658,  adopted  at  Cambridge,  Massachusetts, 
1680),  containing  what  seemed  to  be  a  comprehensive  and  fitting 
expression  of  their  faith.  Few  Congregational  churches,  if  any, 
retain  that  ancient  symbol,  and  fewer  still  would  be  willing  to 
adopt  it  now.  It  is  properly  regarded  as  an  ancient  battle-flag, 
under  which,  in  their  day,  the  fathers  lived  and  fought  valiantly, 
and  which  the  sons  should  reverently  place  among  the  trophies  of 
the  past.  It  is  the  flag  to  which  we  should  most  of  us  have  rallied 
in  its  time.  It  does  not  represent  the  issues  of  today.  The  Burial 
Hill  Declaration  of  Faith  was  adopted  by  the  National  Council  in 
1865,  and  is  to  be  regarded  as  an  expression  of  the  belief  of  those 
who  constituted  the  noble  body  of  men  who  listened  to  it  in  its 
final  form  on  ground  made  sacred  by  the  early  Pilgrims,  and  of 
such  churches  as  have  adopted  it  as  their  own.  The  Council  of 
1883  appointed  a  large  commission  of  leading  men  of  the  denom- 
ination to  formulate  and  issue  a  statement  of  doctrine  on  which 
they  could  agree;  but  the  Council  and  its  successors  were  careful 
not  to  give  it  the  sanction  of  a  vote,  only  in  advance  authorizing 
the  committee  to  present  in  print  to  the  churches  the  result  of  their 
deliberation  when  it  should  be  reached. — Boynton:  Congregational 
Way,  pp.  52,  53. 

Early  Confessions  and  Creeds.  (1)  In  the  year  1596  there 
appeared  a  small  quarto,  of  twenty-two  pages,  entitled  "A  True 
Confession  of  the  Faith  and  Humble  Acknowledgment  of  the 
Allegiance  which  we  Her  Majesty's  Subjects,  falsely  called  Brown- 


390  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

ists,  do  hold  towards  God,  and  yield  to  Her  Majesty  and  all  other 
that  are  over  us  in  the  Lord.  Set  down  in  Articles  or  Positions 
for  the  better  and  more  easy  understanding  of  those  that  shall 
read  it:  And  published  for  the  clearing  of  ourselves  from  those 
unchristian  slanders  of  heresy,  schism,  pride,  obstinacy,  disloyalty, 
sedition,  etc.,  which  by  our  adversaries  are  in  all  places  given  out 
against  us,"  etc. 

Four  years  before  this  Confession  was  issued,  a  Congregational 
church  in  London  which  had  for  some  time  been  meeting  for  wor- 
ship and  fellowship  completed  its  organisation  by  electing  a  pastor, 
teacher,  elders,  and  deacons.  The  fierce  persecution  of  the  Sepa- 
ratists in  England  soon  drove  a  large  part  of  the  church  to  Amster- 
dam; the  pastor,  Francis  Johnson,  was  imprisoned  in  the  Clink. 
The  exiles  in  Holland  and  their  brethren  whom  they  had  left  in 
London  thought  it  necessary  to  issue  a  formal  Declaration  of  their 
doctrinal  faith  and  of  their  principles  in  relation  to  church  govern- 
ment. It  was  a  Confession  of  Faith  issued  in  self-defence  to  repel 
slander  and  to  correct  misapprehension. 

(2)  On  September  the  29th,  1658,  rather  more  than  three 
weeks  after  the  death  of  Cromwell,  about  two  hundred  delegates 
from  120  Congregational  churches  met  in  London  and  appointed 
Goodwin,  Owen,  Nye,  Bridge,  Caryl,  and  Greenhill  a  committee 
to  draw  up  a  set  of  Articles  defining  the  doctrinal  faith  of  the 
English  Congregational  churches  and  their  principles  of  church 
polity.  The  result  of  their  deliberations  is  given  in  "A  Declaration 
of  the  Faith  and  Order  owned  and  practised  in  the  Congregational 
Churches  in  England:  Agreed  upon  and  consented  unto  by  their 
Elders  and  Messengers  in  their  ..leeting  at  the  Savoy,  October  the 
12th,  1658." 

This,  too,  was  a  Confession,  not  a  Creed.  Congregationalists 
of  that  age  were  clear  in  their  judgment  that  the  imposition  of  a 
Creed  as  a  condition  of  communion  is  illegitimate;  they  were 
equally  clear  that  Christian  men  and  Christian  churches  are  at 
liberty  to  declare  their  own  Faith. 

The  following  extract  from  the  Preface  to  the  "Declaration" 
will  indicate  their  position  on  these  questions: 

"^Confessions  when  made  by  a  company  of  professors  of  Chris- 
tianity jointly  meeting  to  that  end— the  most  genuine  and  natural 
use  of  such  is,  that  under  the  same  form  of  words  they  express 
the  substance  of  the  same  common  salvation,  or  unity  of  their 
Faith,  whereby  speaking  the  same  things  they  show  themselves 
'perfectly  joined  in  the  same  mind  and  in  the  same  judgment.'  And 
accordingly  such  a  transaction  is  to  be  looked  upon  but  as  a^  meet 
or  fit  medium  or  means  whereby  to  express  their  common  'Faith 
and  Salvation';  and  no  way  to  be  made  use  of_  as  an  imposition 
upon  any.  Whatever  is  of  force  or  constraint  in  matters  of  this 
nature  causeth  them  to  degenerate  from  the  name  and  nature  of 
Confessions;  and  turns  them,  from  being  Confessions  of  Faith,  into 
exactions  and  impositions  of  Faith."— I>a/e.-  Handbook,  pp.  183-184. 

Is  Rejection  of  the  Creed  a  Ground  for  Expulsion?  No 
church  has  a  moral  right  to  exclude  a  member  on  account 
of  his  having  come  to  doubt  some  article  in  its  creed.     If 


AUTHORITY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  CREEDS      391 

he  accepts  Jesus  as  Saviour  and  Lord  and  is  living  a  faith- 
ful life,  he  belongs  in  the  membership  of  the  church,  and  no 
church  has  a  right  to  call  anything  unclean  that  God  has 
cleansed. 

Doctrinal  Errors  Not  Ground  for  Expulsion.  It  is  equally  in- 
consistent with  Congregational  principles  for  a  particular  church 
to  make  the  rejection  of  any  theological  definitions  contained  in  a 
creed  the  ground  for  removing  a  member  from  Communion. 

Doctrinal  errors  not  inconsistent  with  a  genuine  faith  in  Christ 
may  be  long  retained  by  men  who  have  received  remission  of  sins 
and  the  gift  of  eternal  life;  large  provinces  of  glorious  truth  may 
remain  unknown  to  them;  but  error  and  ignorance  which  do  not 
separate  a  man  from  Christ  should  not  separate  him  from  the 
church. — Dale:  Cong.  Manual,  p.   187. 

Independence  of  Opinion.  It  is  interesting  to  observe  that 
these  Christian  men,  who  established  these  churches,  were  so  abso- 
lutely free  to  approach  God  as  they  chose  that  they  declined  the 
difficult  business  of  defining  their  faith.  John  Winthrop  and 
Thomas  Dudley  could  not  have  agreed  on  any  theological  platform 
any  more  than  John  Bright  and  Pius  IX  could  have  agreed.  And, 
if  any  effort  were  made  in  those  years  to  draw  up  any  statement 
of  Christian  doctrine  by  any  one  of  the  ten  or  twelve  churches  of 
Massachusetts,  it  left  no  record  behind  it.  Wholly  conscious  of 
such  independence  of  opinion  in  the  individual,  these  separate 
congregations  organized  themselves  by  making  "covenants,"  which 
are  wholly  different  from  creeds.— Edward  Everett  Hale:  Umtarian- 
ism  and  Original  Congregationalism,  p.  4. 

The  Woburn  Covenant.  We  that  do  assemble  ourselves  this 
day  before  God  and  his  people,  in  an  unfeigned  desire  to  be  ac- 
cepted of  him  as  a  church  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  according  to 
the  rule  of  the  New  Testament,  do  acknowledge  our  selves  to  be 
the  most  unworthy  of  all  others,  that  we  should  attain  such  a 
high  grace,  and  the  most  unable  of  our  selves  to  the  performance 
of  any  thing  that  is  good,  abhorring  our  selves  for  all  our  former 
defilements  in  the  worship  of  God,  and  other  wayes,  and  resting 
only  upon  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  attonement,  and  upon  the 
power  of  his  grace  for  the  guidance  of  our  whole  after  course;  do 
here  in  the  name  of  Christ  Jesus,  as  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord, 
from  the  bottom  of  our  hearts  agree  together  through  his  grace 
to  give  up  our  selves,  first  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  as  our  only  King, 
Priest  and  Prophet,  wholly  to  be  subject  unto  him  in  all  things,  and 
therewith  one  unto  another,  as  in  a  Church-Body  to  walk  together 
in  all  the  Ordinances  of  the  Gospel,  and  in  all  such  mutual  love 
and  offices  thereof,  as  toward  one  another  in  the  Lord;  and  all 
this,  both  according  to  the  present  light  that  the  Lord  hath  given 
us,  as  also  according  to  all  further  light,  which  he  shall  be  pleased 
at  any  time  to  reach  out  unto  us  out  of  the  Word  by  the  goodness 
of  his  grace,  renouncing  also  in  the  same  Covenant  all  errors  and 
Schisms,  and  whatsoever  by-wayes  that  are  contrary  to  the  blessed 
rules  revealed  in  the  Gospel,  and  in  particular  the  mordinate  love 


392  THE  LAW   OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

and  seeking  after  the  things  of  the  world. — Johnson:  Wonder-Work- 
ing Providence,  p.  216. 

What  Is  the  Nature  of  a  Church  Covenant?  The  cov- 
enant is  that  agreement  which  constitutes  the  church.  The 
church  at  Scrooby  was  organized  by  a  covenant.  We  are 
told  in  Bradford's  history  how  its  members  "shook  off  the 
anti-Christian  yoke  of  bondage  and  as  the  Lord's  free  people 
joined  themselves  into  a  church  estate  by  a  covenant  of 
the  Lord,  to  walk  in  all  his  ways,  made  or  to  be  made 
known  unto  them  according  to  their  best  endeavors,  the 
Lord  assisting  them." 

A  Congregational  church  may  or  may  not  have  a  creed. 
The  early  churches  did  not  have  creeds,  but  all  such 
churches  had  covenants. 

Covenant  Constitutes  the  Church.  Now  that  a  company  becomes 
a  Church,  by  joyning  in  Covenant,  may  be  made  good  sundry 
wayes;  first,  By  plaine  Texts  of  Scripture;  as  from  Deut.  29:  1,  10, 
11,  12,  13.  "Yee  stand  this  day  all  you  before  the  Lord  your  God, 
your  Captaines  of  your  Tribes,  your  Elders,  your  Officers,  with 
all  men  of  Israel,  ver.  10.  That  thou  shouldest  enter  into  covenant 
with  the  Lord  thy  God,  ver  12,  and  he  may  establish  thee  for  a 
people  unto  himselfe,  ver  13."  So  that  here  is  plainly  shewed,  that 
here  was  a  company,  ver  10,  and  this  company  were  to  be  estab- 
lished to  be  a  people  unto  the  Lord,  that  is  to  say,  a  Church,  ver. 
13.  And  this  is  done  by  the  peoples  entring  into  solemne  Covenant 
with  God,  ver.  12,  and  therefore  a  company  of  people  doe  become 
a  Church  by  entring  into  Covenant  with  God. — John  Davenport: 
Church  Government,  London,  1643. 

Covenants.  The  Pilgrim  Covenant,  formed  at  Scrooby  in  1602, 
declares  that  these  people,  "as  ye  Lord's  free  people,  joyned  them- 
selves (by  a  covenant  of  the  Lord)  into  a  church  estate,  in  ye 
fellowship  of  ye  gospell,  to  walk  in  all  his  wayes,  made  known  or 
to  be  made  known  unto  them,  according  to  their  best  endeavors, 
whatsoever  it  should  cost  them,  the  Lord  assisting  them." 

The  Covenant  of  the  First  Church  in  Salem,  adopted  in  1629, 
reads,  "We  covenant  with  the  Lord  and  with  one  another,  and 
do  bind  ourselves  in  the  presence  of  God  to  walk  together  in  all 
His  ways,  according  as  He  is  pleased  to  reveal  Himself  unto  us 
in  His  Blessed  Word  of  Truth." 

The  Covenant  of  the  First  Church  in  Boston,  established  in 
1630,  is  as  follows:  "We,  whose  names  are  hereunder  written, 
.  .  .  do  hereby  solemnly  and  religiously  (as  in  his  most  holy 
presence)  promise  and  bind  ourselves  to  walk  in  all  our  ways 
according  to  the  rule  of  the  gospel  and  in  all  sincere  conformity 
to  his  holy  ordinances,  and  in  mutual  love  and  respect  each  to 
other,  so  near  as  God  shall  give  us  grace." 

These  covenants  are   still  retained  by  these   three  churches. 


AUTHORITY  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  CREEDS      393 

though  these  churches,  together  with  the  majority  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts churches  founded  in  the  seventeenth  century,  now  ac- 
knowledge a  Unitarian  faith  and  fellowship. — Unitarian  Handbook, 
pp.  10-11. 

The  Church  Covenant.  That  which  constitutes  a  Congrega- 
tional church  is  its  covenant,  in  which  its  members,  on  the  basis 
of  common  convictions  as  to  truth  and  duty,  and  some  unanimity 
of  thought  and  purpose  as  to  the  best  way  of  expressing  that  truth 
and  discharging  that  duty,  agree  on  certain  modes  of  action. — 
Boynton:  Congregational  Way,  p.  52. 

This  form  is  the  visible  covenant,  agreement,  or  consent, 
whereby  they  give  up  themselves  unto  the  Lord,  to  the  observing 
of  the  ordinances  of  Christ  together  in  the  same  society,  which  is 
usually  called  the  church  covenant:  For  we  see  not  otherwise  how 
members  can  have  church-power  one  over  another  mutually. — 
Cambridge  Platform,  iv,  3. 

But  how  did  they  form  churches?  and  how  are  churches  now 
to  be  formed?  or  what  is  it  that  constitutes  a  number  of  visible 
saints  a  proper  church?  I  answer,  a  mutual  covenant.  It  is  by 
confederation,  that  a  number  of  individual  Christians  become  a 
visible  church  of  Christ.  A  number  of  professing  Christians  can- 
not be  formed  into  a  church  without  their  freely  and  mutually 
covenanting  to  walk  together  in  all  the  duties  and  ordinances  of 
the  gospel. — Emmons:  Platform  Eccl.  Govt,  ii,  1. 

Nothing  besides  a  covenant  can  give  form  to  a  church,  or 
be  a  sufficient  bond  of  union.  Mere  Christian  affection  cannot. 
Though  all  Christian  churches  ought  to  be  connected  by  the  bond 
of  brotherly  love,  yet  this  alone  is  not  sufficient  to  make  a  number 
of  Christians  a  church  of  Christ.  This  bond  of  union  runs  through 
all  the  Christian  world,  and  cordially  unites  real  Christians  of  all 
denominations,  though  divided  into  various  distinct  societies.  This 
common  bond  of  union  cannot  be  the  principal  bond  of  union  in 
any  particular  church.  Nor  does  baptism  constitute  a  person  a 
member  of  any  particular  church.  Many  of  those  strangers  in 
Jerusalem,  who  were  baptized  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  probably 
never  saw  one  another  again  after  they  left  Jerusalem;  so  that 
their  baptism  could  not  make  them  members  of  any  particular 
church.  Thus  it  appears,  that  a  number  of  Christians  may  form 
themselves  into  a  proper  church,  or  religious  society,  by  a  mutual 
covenant. — Emmons:  Platform  Eccl.  Govt.,  ii,  2. 

Sacredness  of  Covenant.  The  church  covenant  is  no  more  with 
us  than  this — an  agreement  and  resolution,  professed  with  promise 
to  walk  in  all  those  ways  pertaining  to  this  fellowship,  so  far  as 
they  shall  be  revealed  to  them  in  the  gospel.  Thus  briefly  and 
indefinitely  and  implicitly,  and  in  such  like  words  and  no  other, 
do  we  apply  ourselves  to  men's  consciences,  not  obtruding  upon 
them  the  mention  of  any  one  particular  before  or  in  admission, 
.  .  .  leaving  their  spirits  free  to  the  entertainment  of  the  light 
that  shines  or  shall  shine  on  them  and  us  out  of  the  Word. — Thomas 
Goodwin,  in  Letters  to  John  Goodwin,  p.  44. 

Daniel  Buck,  a  member  of  the  church  organized  in  London  in 
1592,  declared,  on  his  arraignment  before  three  magistrates,  that 
when  he  came  into  the  congregation  "he  made  this  protestation, 


394  THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 


that  he  would  walk  with  the  rest  of  the  congregation,  so  long  as 
they  would  walk  in  the  way  of  the  Lord,  and  as  far  as  might  be 
warranted  by  the  word  of  God."— Punchard:  Hist.,  277,  278. 

It  is  enough  that  there  be  a  covenant  either  expressed  or 
implied. — Burton:  Rejoinder  to  Prynne,  p.  25. 

A  covenant  may  be  "by  silent  consent,  Gen.  17:2;  by  express 
words,  Ex.  19:8;  or  by  writing  and  sealing,  Neh.  9:  38."— Cotton: 
Way  of  the  Churches,  3. 

The  church  of  Christ  arises  from  the  coadunition  or  knitting 
together  of  many  saints  into  one  by  a  holy  covenant,  whereby 
they,  as  lively  stones,  are  built  into  a  spiritual  house,  I  Pet.  2:4,  5. 
Though  church  covenant  be  common  to  all  churches  in  its  general 
nature,  yet  there  is  a  special  combination  which  gives  a  peculiar 
being  to  one  Congregational  church  and  its  members,  distinct  from 
all  others. — John  Davenport:  Power  of  Congregational  Churches,  p. 
62. 

The  Salem  Covenant.  Higginson's  Confession  of  Faith  and 
Covenant  was  acknowledged  only  as  a  direction  pointing  to  that 
faith  and  covenant  contained  in  the  Holy  Scriptures;  and  therefore 
no  man  was  confined  to  that  form  of  words,  but  only  to  the  sub- 
stance and  scope  of  the  matter  contained  therein;  and,  for  the 
circumstantial  manner  of  joining  the  church,  it  was  ordered  ac- 
cording to  the  wisdom  and  faithfulness  of  the  elders,  together 
with  the  liberty  and  ability  of  any  person.  Hence  it  was  that 
some  were  admitted  by  expressing  their  consent  to  that  written 
confession  of  faith  and  covenant;  others  did  answer  questions 
about  the  principles  of  religion,  that  were  publicly  propounded  to 
them;  some  did  present  their  confession  in  writing,  which  was 
read  for  them;  and  some,  that  were  able  and  willing,  did  make 
their  own  confession,  in  their  own  words  and  way. — Morton:  New 
England  Memorial. 

The  Covenant  a  Sacrament.  A  Congregational  church  was 
created  by  the  covenant.  It  was  in  reality  a  third  sacrament. — 
Vernon:   Southworth  Lectures. 

Every  true  church  of  God  is  joyned  with  him  in  holye  covenant 
by  voluntarye  profession  to  have  him  the  God  thereof  and  to  be 
his  people. — John  Robinson. 

The  Covenant  in  1606.  They  joyned  both  hands  each  with  each 
Brother,  and  stood  in  a  Ringwise:  their  intent  being  declared.  H. 
Jacob  and  each  of  the  Rest  made  some  confession  or  profession 
of  their  Faith  and  Repentance:  some  were  longer,  some  were 
briefer.  Then  they  covenanted  together  to  walk  in  all  God's  Ways 
as  he  revealed  or  should  make  known  to  them. — Record  of  church 
founded  in  London  by  Henry  Jacob,  1606. 

Every  true  Church  of  God  is  joyned  with  Him  in  holye  cov- 
enant by  voluntary  profession  to  have  him  the  God  thereof  &  to 
be  his  people. — From  newly  discovered  MS.  of  John  Robinson,  edited 
by  ChampHn  Barrage,  Oxford,  1910. 


XXIV.     THE  NATIONAL  COUNCIL 

Why  Was  There  No  National  Council  in  the  Beginning? 

There  was  no  National  Council  in  the  beginning  of  Amer- 
ican Congregationalism  because  there  was  then  no  nation, 
and  also  because  at  that  time  the  Congregational  emphasis 
was  laid  upon  independence  rather  than  fellowship.  While 
Congregational  churches  always  have  believed  in  fellowship 
and  the  interchange  of  advice  and  the  united  action  of  the 
churches  in  common  concerns,  no  fixed  and  unalterable 
form  existed  or  was  felt  to  be  needed  for  the  expression  of 
that  fellowship.  From  time  to  time  councils,  synods,  and 
conventions  were  called  as  occasion  required,  but  the  organ- 
ization of  a  national  body,  representative  of  all  the  Con- 
gregational churches,  waited  till  the  consciousness  of 
national  denominational  unity  called  it  into  being. 

As  the  National  Council  represents  a  comparatively 
recent  development  in  our  denominational  life,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  treat  some  topics  related  to  its  functions  with  some- 
what more  of  fullness  than  has  been  necessary  in  other  sec- 
tions of  this  book. 

What  National  Congregational  Gatherings  Preceded  the 
National  Council?  The  following  gatherings,  representa- 
tive of  the  Congregational  churches,  may  fairly  be  described 
as  in  some  sense  national: 

( I )  The  gathering  which  formulated  the  Mayflower  Com- 
pact. Although  this  was  a  body  composed  of  the  mem- 
bers of  a  single  Congregational  church,  it  was  at  that  time 
the  sole  Congregational  church  within  the  territory  of  what 
is  now  the  United  States.  Already  in  1606  the  men  who 
composed  it  had  organized  in  Scrooby  a  free  Congrega- 
tional Church.  They  did  this  "as  the  Lord's  free  people," 
being  joined  in  a  covenant  "to  walk  in  the  ways  of  the 
Lord,  known  or  to  be  made  known  unto  them,  whatever  it 
sbould  cost  them,  the  Lord  assisting  them."  This  covenant 
had  proved  adequate  for  their  needs  during  their  sojourn 


396  THE  LAW   OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

in  Holland,  but  during  their  voyage  to  America  some  cases 
of  incipient  insubordination,  particularly  among  some  of 
the  later  arrivals  in  the  colony,  indicated  the  advisability 
of  establishing  a  civil  government.  With  the  same  calm 
dignity  and  self-confidence  which  they  had  manifested  in 
their  organization  into  a  church  estate,  they  gathered  in  the 
cabin  of  the  Mayflower  in  Cape  Cod  Harbor  on  November 
II,  1620,  and  adopted  the  Compact,  which  was  signed  by 
forty-one  male  members  of  the  Mayflower  community. 

(2)  The  Ncwtotvne  Synod.  This  synod  was  called  by 
the  General  Court  of  Massachusetts  and  convened  in  New- 
towne,  now  Cambridge,  on  August  30,  1637.  It  lasted  for 
twenty-four  days.  It  was  called  into  existence  to  consider 
the  doctrines  of  Mrs.  Anne  Hutchinson  and  others.  It  was 
constituted  of  "all  the  teaching  elders  through  the  country 
and  of  messengers  from  the  churches."  It  considered  and 
catalogued  and  condemned  eighty-two  erroneous  opinions 
and  nine  unwholesome  expressions.  It  pronounced  what 
Scripture  had  been  perverted  and  declared  what  the  synod 
considered  the  true  meaning  of  the  passages  in  question. 
In  view  of  the  private  gatherings  of  Mrs.  Hutchinson,  it 
held  that  gatherings  of  church  members  at  or  near  the 
meeting-house  could  not  be  countenanced;  that  women's 
meetings  for  doctrinal  discussion  were  not  expedient,  and 
that  members  who  held  views  contrary  to  the  discipline  of 
the  church  should  not  receive  letters  of  dismission. 

(3)  The  Cambridge  Synod.  This  body  convened  at  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  September,  1646,  and  continued  for  four- 
teen days.  It  assembled  again  June  8,  1647,  and  adjourned, 
convening  again  on  October  27,  1647,  and  held  its  final 
meeting  August  15  to  25,  1648.  The  Cambridge  Synod 
convened  pursuant  to  a  letter  of  inquiry  sent  by  ministers 
in  England  to  New  England  requesting  the  judgment  of 
their  brethren  concerning  "nine  positions,"  and  also  to  a 
communication  to  the  churches  of  New  England  asking 
thirty-two  questions  covering  the  whole  field  of  church 
government.     The    General    Court   of    Massachusetts    was 


THE    NATIONAL   COUNCIL  397 

petitioned  May,  1646,  to  convene  the  churches  in  a  synod. 
The  synod  was  convened  by  the  General  Court  by  the  fol- 
lowing call : 

"That  there  be  a  public  assembly  of  the  elders  and  other 
messengers  of  the  several  churches,  within  this  jurisdiction, 
who  may  come  together,  and  meet  at  Cambridge,  upon  the 
first  day  of  September,  now  next  ensuing,  then  to  discuss, 
dispute  and  clear  up  by  the  Word  of  God,  such  questions 
of  church  government  and  discipline,  in  the  things  afore- 
mentioned or  any  other,  as  they  shall  think  needful  and 
meet,  and  to  continue  so  doing  till  they  or  the  major  part 
of  them  shall  have  agreed  and  consented  upon  one  form  of 
government  and  discipline,  for  the  main  and  substantial 
parts  thereof,  as  that  which  they  judge  agreeable  to  the 
Holy  Scriptures." 

It  resulted  in  the  adoption  of  the  so-called  Cambridge 
Platform,  one  of  the  most  important  documents  of  early 
American  Congregationalism. 

(4)  The  Massachusetts  Synod.  This  body  assembled 
at  Boston,  March  10,  June  10,  July  4,  and  September  9, 
1662.  It  was  called  at  the  order  and  desire  of  the  General 
Court.  It  was  composed  of  seventy  elders  and  messengers 
convened  to  answer  the  questions:  (a)  "Who  are  the  sub- 
jects of  baptism?"  and  (b)  "Whether,  according  to  the 
Word  of  God,  there  ought  to  be  a  consociation  of  churches, 
and  what  should  be  the  manner  of  it?" 

In  answer  to  the  first  question,  the  synod  recommended 
that  persons  who  had  been  baptized  in  infancy  and  there- 
fore members  of  the  church,  might  "own  the  covenant,"  and 
even  if  they  did  not  come  into  full  communion,  if  they  were 
not  scandalous  in  their  lives,  they  might  be  entitled  to  have 
their  children  baptized.  This  judgment,  however,  failed  of 
general  approval  by  the  churches. 

With  respect  to  the  second  question,  the  synod  con- 
tented itself  by  referring  the  churches  to  the  Cambridge 
Platform. 

(5)  The  Reforming  Synod.      This  body   assembled  at 


398         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

Boston,  September  lo,  1679.  It  was  called  by  the  General 
Court  upon  a  motion  made  by  "certain  reverend  elders." 
It  grew  out  of  the  sad  lapses  in  faith  and  life  of  many  of 
the  people  of  the  second  and  third  generations  living  in 
New  England  and  the  distresses  of  the  times  which  were 
believed  to  be  the  result  of  judgments  of  God  by  reason  of 
the  people's  sins.  Two  questions  were  asked:  (a)  "What 
are  the  evils  that  have  provoked  the  Lord  to  bring  his 
judgments  on  New  England?"  (b)  "What  is  to  be  done 
so  that  these  evils  may  be  reformed?" 

The  finding  of  this  Synod  was  drawn  up  by  Increase 
Mather. 

(6)  The  Savoy  Synod.  This  was  technically  a  second 
session  of  the  Reforming  Synod  of  1679.  The  brethren  who 
composed  that  earlier  body  held  a  second  session  May  12, 
1680,  to  "consult  and  consider  a  Confession  of  Faith."  This 
lay  somewhat  outside  the  scope  of  their  original  call,  but 
their  action  met  the  general  approval  of  the  churches  and 
also  of  the  General  Court,  and  they  adopted  with  slight 
variations  the  confession  which  had  been  consented  to  by 
the  churches  of  England  at  Savoy,  in  1658.  It  was  virtually 
the  Westminster  Confession,  with  certain  changes  in  re- 
spect to  polity. 

(7)  The  Sayhrook  Synod.  The  Saybrook  Synod  was 
called  by  the  Legislature  of  Connecticut  and  convened  at 
Saybrook,  September  9,  1708.  In  the  call  it  was  directed 
"that  the  ministers  of  the  several  counties  should  meet  at 
the  county  towns,  with  such  messengers  as  the  churches 
should  send,  to  consider  and  agree  upon  methods  and  rules 
of  ecclesiastical  discipline,  and  appoint  two  or  more  of  their 
number  to  meet  at  Saybrook,  there  to  draw  a  form  of 
ecclesiastical  discipline  to  be  laid  before  the  Legislature  at 
its  October  session." 

The  literary  monument  of  this  synod  is  the  Saybrook 
Platform,  containing  fifteen  articles  of  discipline.  Its  con- 
tribution to  the  polity  of  the  denomination  was  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  Consociation  System. 


THE    NATIONAL    COUNCIL  399 


(8)  The  Michigan  City  Convention.  Less  than  national 
in  its  membership,  but  fully  national  in  its  influence,  was 
a  convention  of  representatives  of  Congregationalism  held 
in  Michigan  City,  Indiana,  in  1846,  which  declared  the  ad- 
herence of  the  western  churches  thus  represented  to  the 
fundamental  doctrines  of  the  gospel  as  set  forth  by  the 
masters  of  New  England  theology  and  also  to  the  historical 
polity  of  the  Congregational  churches.  This  convention 
had  large  influence  in  convincing  eastern  Congregational- 
ists  of  the  essential  unity  of  western  Congregationalism 
with  that  of  New  England  and  did  much  to  prepare  the 
way  for  the  Albany  Convention  and  later  for  the  National 
Council  of  1865. 

(9)  The  Albany  Convention.  This  body  assembled  at 
Albany,  N.  Y.,  October  5-8,  1852,  to  express  the  dawning 
consciousness  of  denominational  unity.  It  abrogated  the 
Plan  of  Union  which  had  been  adopted  between  the  Con- 
necticut Missionary  Society  and  the  Presbyterian  General 
Assembly  in  1801,  and  pledged  $62,000  for  the  propaganda 
of  Congregationalism  west  of  the  Hudson. 

(10)  The  Boston  Council  of  1865.  Chicago  Theological 
Seminary  is  governed  by  a  triennial  convention  of  the  Con- 
gregational churches  of  the  Northwest.  At  its  meeting  in 
Chicago,  April,  1864,  it  adopted  resolutions  to  the  effect 
that  the  Congregational  churches  of  the  United  States 
should  consult  together  concerning  their  common  duties 
and  opportunities.  The  General  Association  of  Illinois, 
convening  at  Quincy,  May  27,  1864,  approved  the  resolu- 
tions and  voted  that  a  National  Convention  of  Congrega- 
tionalists  be  invited  to  assemble  either  at  Springfield,  Mass., 
or  Albany,  N.  Y.,  on  Tuesday,  September  6,  1864.  The 
Congregational  Conference  of  Ohio  approved  the  plan  and 
invited  the  convention  to  meet  at  Cleveland.  A  meeting  of 
the  delegates  of  the  American  Congregational  Union  assem- 
bled at  New  Haven,  in  July,  1864,  and  suggested  that  that 
body  invite  the  committees  from  the  several  states  to  meet 
in  Broadway  Tabernacle,  November  16,  1864.    Accordingly 


400         THE  LAW  OF  CONGREGATIONAL  USAGE 

the  committees  met.  Fifteen  states  were  represented ;  forty- 
delegates  and  fourteen  honorary  members  were  present. 

At  this  Conference  of  Committees  it  was  voted  that  the 
body  convene  in  Boston  on  the  second  Wednesday  in  June, 
1865 ;  that  the  selection  of  members  be  by  the  churches  in 
the  local  conferences,  one  pastor  and  one  delegate,  or  two 
delegates  for  each  ten  churches  or  major  fraction  thereof; 
each  Conference  or  Association  to  be  allowed  at  least  one 
pastor  and  one  delegate. 

The  Council  assembled  in  the  Old  South  Meeting  House 
on  July  14,  1865,  at  3  o'clock  P.  M.  It  gave  expression  to 
the  new  sense  of  unity  which  the  churches  felt  after  the 
Civil  War  and  it  adopted  the  Burial  Hill  Confession.  It 
was  an  important  step  toward  the  organization  of  the 
National  Council  itself. 

(11)  The  Pilgrim  Memorial  Convention.  The  Church 
of  the  Pilgrimage  at  Plymouth,  Mass.,  invited  the  churches 
to  meet  all  delegates  in  New  York  to  consider  the  appro- 
priateness of  celebrating  the  250th  anniversary  of  the  land- 
ing of  the  Pilgrims.  That  meeting  was  held  March  2,  1870, 
and  appointed  a  general  committee  to  prepare  for  such  a 
celebration.  Among  the  acts  of  this  committee  was  the 
calling  of  the  Pilgrim  Memorial  Convention,  which  met  at 
Chicago,  April  27,  1870,  and  was  open  to  delegates  from  all 
the  churches  in  the  United  States.  The  convention  included 
the  entire  membership  of  the  Triennial  Convention  of  the 
Northwest  which  had  met  on  the  day  previous.  The  most 
significant  utterance  of  this  convention  was  the  adoption 
of  the  following  resolution : 

"Resolved,  That  this  Pilgrim  Memorial  Convention 
recommend  to  the  Congregational  state  conferences  and 
associations  and  the  other  local  bodies  to  unite  in  measures 
for  instituting  any  principle  of  fellowship,  excluding  ecclesi- 
astical authority  as  a  permanent  national  authority." 

How  Did  the  National  Council  Originate?  The  National 
Council  grew  directly  out  of  the  action  of  the  Pilgrim 
Memorial  Convention  held  in  Chicago,  April  27,  1870.    The 


THE    NATIONAL    COUNCIL 401 

underlying  conditions,  which  made  such  a  council  appro- 
priate, were  set  forth  by  a  committee,  of  which  Rev.  A.  H. 
Quint  was  chairman,  summarizing  the  findings  of  the  sev- 
eral associations  looking  toward  a  national  gathering: 

When  the  Congregational  churches  were  confined  almost 
wholly  to  New  England,  the  facility  of  intercourse  insured  a  unity 
which  needed  no  more  formal  expression  than  the  correspondence 
of  state  bodies  with  each  other  by  delegates.  Hence,  it  was  held 
that  no  organization  broader  than  that  of  a  single  state  was  neces- 
sary, except  when  some  exigency  should  arise,  such  as  those  which 
prompted  the  calling  of  the  Albany  Convention  of  1852,  and  the 
Council  at  Boston  of  1865.  But  the  rapid  extension  of  the  Con- 
gregational connection  from  the  Hudson  River  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean,  has  made  the  want  of  some  common  assembly  severely 
felt;  and  the  great  and  pressing  duties  of  evangelization  have  made 
the  exigencies  continual.  The  staunchest  advocates  of  the  rights 
of  the  churches  have  come  to  feel  that  some  visible  expression  of 
unity  is  greatly  needed,  as  well  as  some  method  of  securing  com- 
mon consultation  upon  the  duties  of  the  churches  in  their  united 
character;  and  that  both  of  these  objects  can  be  perfectly  secured 
without  interfering,  in  the  least  degree,  with  those  principles  of 
local  self-government  which  are  dear  to  this  part  of  Christ's  visible 
church. 

A  number  of  State  Associations  having  taken  favorable 
action  and  having  appointed  committees  to  join  in  the  call 
of  a  National  Council,  a  convention  of  committees  was  held 
in  the  Congregational  Library  in  Boston,  December  2i, 
1870.  It  was  called  to  order  by  Dr.  Quint,  and  Rev.  Edwin 
B.  Webb  was  elected  chairman.  The  convention  continued 
in  session  on  that  day  and  the  day  following  and  adopted 
the  following  resolutions : 

Resolved,  1.  That  it  is  expedient,  and  appears  clearly  to  be 
the  voice  of  the  churches,  that  a  National  Council  of  the  Congre- 
gational churches  of  the  United  States  be  organized. 

Resolved,  2.  That  the  churches  are  hereby  invited  to  meet  in 
council,  by  delegates,  to  form  such  an  organization,  and  constitute 
its  first  session  at  a  place  and  time  to  be  settled  by  a  committee 
hereafter  to  be  appointed,  who  shall  have  public  notice  thereof; 
and  that  delegates  be  appointed  in  number  and  manner  as  follows: 
(1)  That  the  churches  assembled  in  their  local  conferences  appoint 
one  delegate  for  every  ten  churches  in  their  respective  organiza- 
tions, and  one  for  a  fraction  of  ten  greater  than  one-half;  it  being 
understood  that  wherever  the  churches  of  any  state  are  directly 
united  in  a  General  Association  or  Conference,  they  may,  at  their 
option,  appoint  the  delegate  in  the  above  ratio  in  General  Confer- 
ence, instead  of  in  local  conferences.  (2)  That  in  addition  to  the 
above,  the  churches  united  in  any  General  Association  or  Confer- 


402         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

encc,  appoint  by  such  Association,  one  delegate,  and  one  for  each 
ten  thousand  communicants  in  their  fellowship,  and  one  for  a 
major  fraction  thereof.  (3)  That  the  number  of  delegates  be,  in 
all  cases,  divided  between  ministers  and  laymen,  as  nearly  equally 
as  is  possible. 

Resolved,  3.  That  a  committee,  consisting  of  seven  persons, 
be  appointed  to  prepare  the  draft  of  a  proposed  constitution  for 
the  National  Council,  to  be  submitted  for  consideration  at  the 
meeting  now  called,  and  to  be  previously  published  in  season  for 
consideration  by  the  churches,  and  that  that  committee  be  gov- 
erned by  the  following  directions: 

(1)  That  the  name  be  as  above. 

(2)  That  reference  be  made  to  the  Declaration  of  Faith  set 
forth  at  Plymouth,  in  the  year  1865,  as  the  doctrinal  basis. 

(3)  That  a  declaration  be  made  of  the  two  cardinal  principles 
of  Congregationalism,  viz.,  the  exclusive  right  and  power  of  the 
individual  churches  to  self-government;  and  the  fellowship  of  the 
churches  one  with  another,  with  the  duties  growing  out  of  that 
fellowship  and  especially  the  duty  of  general  consultation  in  all 
matters  of  common  concern  to  the  whole  body  of  churches. 

(4)  That  the  churches  withhold  from  the  National  Council  all 
legislative  or  judicial  power  over  churches  or  individuals,  and  all 
right  to  act  as  a  council  of  reference. 

(5)  That  the  objects  of  the  organization  be  set  forth  substan- 
tially as  follows: 

To  express  and  foster  the  substantial  unity  of  our  churches  in 
doctrine,  polity,  and  work. 

To  consult  upon  the  common  interests  of  all  our  churches,  their 
duties  in  the  work  of  evangelization,  the  united  development  of 
their  resources,  and  their  relations  to  all  parts  of  the  kingdom  of 
Christ. 

(6)  That  the  number  and  manner  of  electing  delegates  be  as 
now  adopted  in  calling  the  first  meeting. 

(7)  That  the  session  be  held  once  in  ..._ years. 

(8)  To  provide  as  simple  an  organization,  with  as  few  officers, 
and  with  as  limited  duties  as  may  be  consistent  with  the  efficiency 
of  the  Council  in  advancing  the  principles  and  securing  the  objects 
of  the  proposed  organization. 

Resolved,  4.  That  the  churches  throughout  the  country  be 
notified  of  the  action  of  this  convention,  and  be  requested  to  au- 
thorize their  representatives  in  Conferences  to  choose  delegates  as 
above. 

A  committee  of  seven  was  chosen  to  prepare  a  draft  of 
the  proposed  constitution  and  directed  to  determine  the 
place  and  time  of  the  first  meeting  of  the  Council  and  to 
issue  the  call.  In  accordance  with  this  vote  the  first 
National  Council,  calling  itself  by  that  name  and  meeting 
under  a  constitution  providing  for  recurring  sessions,  was 
held  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  in  1871. 

What  Was  the  Difference  Between  the  National  Council 


THE   NATIONAL    COUNCIL  403 

and  Previous  Synods?  The  fundamental  difference  between 
the  National  Council  and  the  national  gatherings  which  had 
preceded  it  is  in  the  fact  that  the  National  Council,  as  now 
organized,  is  a  body  which  meets  regularly  under  a  consti- 
tution of  its  own,  with  a  considerable  number  of  committees 
and  commissions  carrying  on  a  continuous  work  on  behalf 
of  the  churches  of  the  denomination.  All  other  differences 
grow  out  of  these.  The  churches  have  come  to  look  to  it 
inevitably  as  possessed  of  more  stability  and  direct  repre- 
sentative character  than  they  recognized  in  pro  re  nata  coun- 
cils called  at  long  intervals. 

When  Did  the  National  Council  Begin  to  Enlarge  Its 
Powers?  Strictly  speaking,  the  National  Council  has  never 
possessed  or  assumed  any  power  beyond  such  reason  as 
may  have  appeared  in  its  several  acts.  Some  recommenda- 
tions of  the  Council  have  been  very  frankly  disregarded  by 
the  churches  and  by  the  Council  itself.  Others  have  from 
the  beginning  had  almost  the  force  of  law  because  they 
appeared  to  register  the  judgment  of  the  churches  in  mat- 
ters where  such  expression  appeared  to  have  been  appro- 
priate. At  no  time  has  the  Council  understood  itself  to  be 
making  any  radical  departure  from  the  principles  upon 
which  it  was  founded.  Looking  back  upon  the  history  of 
the  organization,  however,  it  is  rather  plain  to  the  historian 
that  the  Council  of  1886  was  that  which  stood  at  the  parting 
of  the  ways.  Up  to  that  time  the  several  meetings  of  the 
Council  had  been  marked  by  the  rather  timid  advice  which 
they  gave  in  very  guarded  fashion  to  the  churches.  While 
the  Council  of  1880  provided  for  the  preparation  of  a  creed, 
it  took  pains  that  the  Council  itself  should  not  adopt  it, 
but  merely  that  the  Commission  should  give  it  direct  to 
the  churches. 

The  Council  of  1886,  however,  was  the  beginning  of  the 
new  order  of  things.  Therein  Rev.  A.  H.  Quint,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, and  Rev.  A.  Hastings  Ross,  of  Michigan,  stood 
for  a  representative  body  in  each  state  to  which  the  min- 
isters of  that  state   should  be  directly   responsible.     Rev. 


404        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

Henry  M,  Dexter  opposed  these  brethren  with  all  the  elo- 
quence and  ardor  which  had  expressed  themselves  in  his 
great  books  on  Congregational  usage.  The  vote,  however, 
was  decisive.  The  National  Council  of  1886  made  member- 
ship in  a  Congregational  Association  essential  to  good  and 
regular  standing  in  the  Congregational  ministry.  From 
this  time  on  very  nearl}^  everything  that  Dr.  Dexter  had 
written  about  Associations  became  obsolete,  and  very  much 
that  had  been  declared  concerning  the  National  Council 
ceased  to  be  strictly  true.  Since  that  time  the  National 
Council  has  virtually  been  a  council  of  reference  on  various 
important  matters  representing  our  common  denomina- 
tional concern. 

Need  of  Denominational  Leadership.  I  certainly  believe  that 
the  best  interests  of  all  our  churches  individually  and  collectively 
would  be  promoted  by  having  in  some  form  recognized  leaders 
who  should  look  after  the  interests  of  the  denomination  as  a 
whole,  so  that  the  growth  of  the  denomination  should  not  be  lim- 
ited to  the  extraneous  natural  accretion  of  new  material  to  the 
bodies  already  existing,  but  should  follow  the  law  of  development 
of  nations  and  religions  alike,  by  expansion,  concert  of  action,  and 
unity  of  purpose. — Pres.  Cyrus  Northrup,  at  National  Council  of  1907. 

At  the  outset  of  our  history  there  was  necessarily  some  nega- 
tive element  of  protest  in  the  principles  of  Congregationalism,  but 
they  speedily  took  positive  form  and  became  the  constructive  force 
in  an  order  of  organized  life  as  definite  and  homogeneous  as  was 
compatible  with  the  wide  liberty  which  lay  at  its  foundation.  We 
have  long  been  agreed  that  these  principles  are  primarily  two, 
the  sufficiency  of  the  local  church  and  the  obligations  of  fellow- 
ship. Around  these  the  ideals  and  the  deeds  of  Congregationalism 
so  far  as  it  constitutes  an  organic  force  have  centered.  After  a 
three  hundred  years'  test  these  principles  command  our  allegiance 
today  as  completely  as  they  did  that  of  our  fathers.  It  is  true  that 
there  are  occasionally  found  among  us,  as  among  them,  those  who 
look  longingly  toward  Episcopacy  or  Presbyterianism.  But  with 
these  few  exceptions  we  not  only  believe  in  the  validity  of  those 
old-time  affirmations,  but  also  realize  their  significance  for  the 
upbuilding  of  the  Kingdom  of  God  in  a  degree  impossible  to 
those  who  stood  at  the  beginning  of  these  three  centuries  of 
history.  We  know  what  they  mean  for  freedom  of  thought.  We 
know  how  they  have  unshackled  the  ministry.  We  know  how 
they  have  made  for  individual  initiative.  We  know  how  they  have 
wrought  for  Christian  unity.  We  know  their  potency  to  unmask 
pretentious  shams.  We  know  that  they  have  taught  men  to  rely 
not  upon  external  forms  and  forces  but  upon  the  hidden  life  of 
the  Spirit.  In  other  words  we  see  in  Congregationalism  a  polity 
whose  justification  lies  solely  in  its  spiritual  power. — Herring: 
Report  of  Secy.  National  Council,  New  Haven,  Oct.,  1915. 


THE   NATIONAL    COUNCIL 405 

Democracy  a  Spiritual  Solidarity.  The  Congregational  system 
or  ideal  is  not  a  mere  theory  of  Church  politics  or  government, 
but  fundamentally  a  doctrine  of  religion,  a  way  of  apprehending 
and  realizing  the  Christian  faith.  Its  ecclesiastical  polity  is  but 
its  doctrine  applied  to  the  exercise  and  cultivation  of  the  religious 
life.  Catholicism  is  a  splendid  system,  even  without  the  religious 
idea  that  fills  it;  but  Independency,  apart  from  its  religious  basis 
and  ideal,  is  at  once  mean  and  impotent,  impracticable  and  vision- 
ary. Our  fathers  held  that  legislation,  civil  or  ecclesiastical,  could 
not  create  a  church;  conversion  and  converted  men  alone  could. 
All  were  kings  and  priests  unto  God,  and  could  exercise  their 
functions  only  as  they  stood  in  open  and  immediate  relation  with 
Him.  In  His  Church  Christ  did  not  reign,  while  officials  governed; 
He  both  governed  and  reigned. 

This  Council  speaks  of  an  independency  that  is  ceasing  to  be 
an  isolation  and  learning  to  become  a  brotherhood.  There  is 
nothing  that  has  so  little  solidarity  as  an  autocracy.  It  may 
secure  cohesion,  but  cannot  realize  unity;  its  weapons  are  the 
mechanical  forces  and  clamps  that  may  aggregate  and  hold  to- 
gether atoms;  they  do  not  represent  those  vital  principles  and  laws 
which  can  build  up  a  living  and  productive  and  complete  organism. 
— A.  M.  Fairbairn,  at  First  International  Council,  London,  1891. 

How  Many  National  Councils  Have  Been  Held?     The 

list  of  National  Councils  as  thus  far  held  or  arranged  for  is 
as  follows:  1871,  Oberlin,  Ohio;  1874,  New  Haven,  Conn.; 
1877,  Detroit,  Mich.;  1880,  St.  Louis,  Mo.;  1883,  Concord, 
N.  H.;  1886,  Chicago,  111.;  1889,  Worcester,  Mass.;  1892, 
Minneapolis,  Minn.;  1895,  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ;  1898,  Portland, 
Ore.;  1901,  Portland,  Me.;  1904,  Des  Moines,  Iowa;  1907, 
Cleveland,  Ohio;  1910,  Boston,  Mass.;  1913,  Kansas  City, 
Mo.;  1915,  New  Haven,  Conn.;  1917,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 
The  Council  of  1919  will  be  in  an  important  sense  a  prepa- 
ration for  the  fourth  International  Council,  which  will  com- 
memorate the  Tercentenary  of  the  Landing  of  the  Pilgrims, 
and  will  be  held  at  Boston  and  Plymouth  in  1920. 

Has  the  National  Council  Any  Definite  Doctrinal  Plat- 
form? The  answer  to  this  question  is  less  easy  than  at 
first  it  might  seem.  On  the  one  hand  is  the  fact  of  its  own 
constant  disclaimer  of  any  right  to  impose  a  creed  on  any 
church.  On  the  other  is  the  fact  that  it  has  given  to  the 
churches  three  creeds,  the  Burial  Hill  Confession,  the  Creed 
of  1883,  ^^^  the  Declaration  which  forms  a  portion  of  the 


406        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

preamble  of  the  constitution  adopted  at  Kansas   City   in 

1913. 

The  Burial  Hill  Confession  was  not  adopted  as  a  national 
Congregational  Creed,  but  as  a  sort  of  fitting  climax  to  the 
Boston  Council  of  1865  on  the  occasion  of  its  visit  to 
Plymouth.  "Standing  by  the  rock  where  the  Pilgrims  set 
foot  upon  these  shores,  upon  the  spot  where  they  wor- 
shiped God,  and  among  the  graves  of  the  former  genera- 
tions," it  seemed  appropriate  that  the  Congregational  Coun- 
cil should  say  that  it  held  to  the  essential  truths  for  which 
the  Pilgrims  lived  and  died.  They  did  not  intend  that  they 
should  thereby  impose  a  creed  upon  the  churches. 

Still,  this  is  what  came  somewhat  near  to  being  done. 
When  the  Convention  of  Committees  of  the  several  states 
met  in  Boston,  on  Forefathers'  day  in  1870,  "to  form  a 
National  Congregational  Council,"  it  adopted  eight  resolu- 
tions, outlining  the  plan  of  the  Council  essentially  as  it 
later  was  organized,  and  sent  them  out  to  the  churches.  It 
was  on  the  basis  of  these  eight  resolutions  that  the  churches 
elected  their  delegates  through  the  district  and  state  bodies 
in  1871.  The  first  of  these  eight  resolutions  named  the 
unborn  child,  "The  National  Council  of  Congregational 
Churches  of  the  United  States."  The  second  resolution  was 
this : 

That  reference  be  made  to  the  Declaration  of  Faith  set  forth 
at  Plymouth  in  the  year  1865,  as  the  doctrinal  basis. 

Acting  under  this  instruction,  the  committee  appointed 

to  present  a  constitution  proposed  the  following  at  Oberlin 

in  1871: 

They  (the  churches)  agree  in  belief  that  the  Holy  Scriptures 
arc  the  sufficient  and  only  rule  of  faith  and  practice:  their  under- 
standing of  the  doctrines  thereof,  and  their  harmony  with  other 
parts  of  the  Church  universal,  being  sufficiently  expressed  in  the 
Declaration  of  Faith  set  forth  in  the  National  Council  in  the  year 
1865. 

The  second  part  of  this  resolution  was  warmly  debated. 
Two  objections  were  raised  against  it.  One  was  that  it  did 
not  sufficiently  emphasize  church  unity.     The  other  was 


THE   NATIONAL   COUNCIL 407 

that  it  committed  the  churches  to  a  creed.  The  creed  of 
1865  was  itself  criticized  as  offering  an  inadequate  basis. 
It  was  held  that  it  was  not  familiar ;  that  it  was  not  intended 
for  any  such  purpose;  and  that  it  referred  its  reader  back 
some  hundreds  of  years  to  two  other  creeds.  The  friends 
of  church  unity  got  in  an  amendment  proposing  to  insert 
after  the  words  "the  year  1865"  the  words  "as  follows"  and 
to  add  a  quotation  from  the  Burial  Hill  Confession  on 
church  unity.  Dr.  Quint,  chairman  both  of  the  committee 
which  had  prepared  the  Burial  Hill  Confession  and  that 
which  at  this  time  was  offering  the  new  constitution,  ob- 
jected to  quoting  one  part  of  the  confession  and  not  the  rest. 

A  multitude  of  amendments  were  offered  or  ready  to  be 
offered  when  the  session  took  recess.  When  the  Council 
reassembled,  Dr.  Quint  moved  that  the  doctrinal  question 
be  referred  to  a  special  committee,  of  which  Professor  Bart- 
lett  of  Chicago  Seminary  was  chairman. 

This  was  done,  and  this  committee  recast  the  section  as 
follows : 

They  agree  in  belief  that  the  Holy  Scriptures  are  the  suiificient 
and  only  infallible  rule  of  religious  faith  and  practice;  their  inter- 
pretation thereof  being  in  substantial  accordance  with  the  great 
doctrines  of  the  Christian  faith  commonly  called  "evangelical," 
held  in  our  churches  from  early  times,  and  sufficiently  set  forth  by 
former  general  Councils. 

This  was  unanimously  adopted.  Of  "former  general 
Councils"  that  of  1865  was  latest  and  best  remembered,  and 
its  declaration  was  sufficiently  in  mind  to  make  this  elastic 
reference  a  satisfactory  allusion  to  it  without  committing 
the  Council  to  it  in  any  formal  manner. 

There  was  immediate  disagreement  after  adjournment 
of  the  Council  as  to  how  far  the  churches  were  committed 
by  this  declaration.  Dr.  Bartlett,  in  an  able  article,  held 
that  the  word  "in  accordance  with"  meant  "conformed  to, 
molded  and  governed  by  the  evangelical  doctrines."  Dr. 
Quint  and  the  moderator,  Dr.  Buddington,  opposed  this  in- 
terpretation. 

This  article  does  not  attempt  to  define  the  faith  of  the  churches, 
but  the  basis  of  union   in  the  National   Council.     This  does   not 


408        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 


alter  the  faith  of  any  church.  Every  one  will  hold  the  evangelical 
doctrines  in  his  own  preferred  cast.  We  do  not  bind  ourselves  by 
any  provincial  creeds  or  teachers.— QwrnL-  Congregational  Quar- 
terly, 1872,  pp.  70-71. 

This,  then,  would  appear  true  concerning  the  National 
Council  as  first  organized: 

(1)  It  came  together  with  the  express  understanding 
that  the  Committee  on  Constitution  had  been  instructed  to 
make  the  Burial  Hill  Confession  the  doctrinal  basis  of  the 
Council. 

(2)  The  Constitution  as  adopted  was  intended  not  to 
bind  any  church  or  member  to  any  creed,  but  did  intend 
that  there  should  be  union  on  the  basis  of  the  evangelical 
doctrines,  liberally  interpreted,  the  definite  reference  to  the 
Burial  Hill  declaration  having  given  place  to  an  allusion  to 
the  creeds  "sufficiently  set  forth  by  former  general  Coun- 
cils." 

One  other  strong  influence  must  be  borne  in  mind  in 
interpreting  this  action.  The  feeling  at  Oberlin  in  1871  was 
very  strong  in  favor  of  church  union.  There  were  those 
who  feared  that  the  organization  of  the  National  Congre- 
gational Council  would  remove  us  farther  from  union  with 
other  bodies.  To  avoid  this,  the  Council  adopted  a  long 
"Declaration  of  Unity,"  which  until  1913  was  printed  be- 
tween the  Constitution  and  By-laws  in  all  editions  of  the 
Constitution  issued  by  authority  of  the  National  Council. 

This  "Declaration  of  Unity"  contains  the  words  "We 
believe  in  the  Holy  Catholic  Church" ;  and  in  the  discussions 
it  was  referred  to  as  a  declaration  of  faith.  It  is  interesting 
that  in  the  six  paragraphs  of  this  declaration  the  only  one  in 
credal  form,  the  only  real  credal  affirmation  of  the  Council, 
is  one  which  declares  the  belief  of  the  Council  in  the  Holy 
Catholic  Church. 

The  Commission's  Creed  of  1883  was  a  much  more 
carefully  considered  document  than  the  Burial  Hill  Confes- 
sion, and  much  better  proportioned  and  more  widely  influ- 
ential. It  was  prepared  by  a  Commission  of  Twenty-five 
of  the  National  Council,  and  while  never  formally  adopted 


THE   NATIONAL    COUNCIL 409 

by  the  Council,  had  the  moral  weight  of  its  influence  as  an 
expression  of  the  spirit  in  which  the  Congregational 
churches  of  that  day  interpreted  the  Word  of  God.  No 
attempt  was  ever  made  to  include  in  the  Constitution  of 
the  Council  any  reference  to  it  as  the  doctrinal  basis  of 
the  Council. 

The  Commission  of  Nineteen  on  Polity,  in  preparing  a 
new  constitution  to  be  presented  to  the  Council  in  1913, 
had  very  definitely  in  mind  the  various  complications  in 
the  situation,  and  carefully  considered  the  strong  expres- 
sions which  came  to  them  from  many  sources  as  to  a  plat- 
form for  the  Council.  These  expressions  represented  a 
wide  variety  of  views,  from  those  who  opposed  any  kind 
of  doctrinal  reference  to  those  who  desired  a  definite  creed. 
At  least  three  different  creeds  were  urged  upon  the  Com- 
mission through  its  Committee  on  Constitution — The  Burial 
Hill  Confession,  the  Creed  of  1883,  and  the  Dayton  Con- 
fession of  1906. 

The  Commission  did  not  consider  it  any  part  of  its  duty 
to  prepare  a  creed  for  the  denomination  or  for  any  of  its 
churches.  It  did  consider,  however,  that  the  Constitution 
ought  to  contain  some  doctrinal  statement  as  a  declaration 
of  our  basis  of  unity  in  the  National  Council ;  and  this  was 
the  general  sentiment  in  the  letters  that  reached  the  Com- 
mittee on  Constitution. 

The  Commission  sought  to  preserve  historic  continuity 
without  any  bondage  of  conscience,  and  to  emphasize,  as 
we  have  ever  done,  our  faith  in  Christian  unity  while  de- 
claring basic  principles  of  our  denominational  organization. 
To  this  end  it  adopted  a  simple  platform  with  an  opening 
paragraph  or  preamble,  and  a  paragraph  each  on  doctrine, 
polity,  and  unity. 

The  Confession  of  Faith  which  the  Commission  of  Nine- 
teen first  sent  out  was  the  following  simple  declaration : 

This  Council,  and  the  churches  composing  it,  believing  in  the 
love  of  God  the  Father  toward  all  men,  and  in  the  revelation  of 
that  love  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord,  and  seeking  to  live  together  in 
the  life,  fellowrship  and  service  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  are  united  in 


410         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

striving  to  know  their  duty  as  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures  and 
through  the  present  ministration  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  in  their 
covenant  to  walk  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord  made  known  or  to  be 
made  known  to  them,  and  in  their  labor  for  that  righteousness 
which  is  profitable  for  the  life  that  now  is,  and  has  promise  for 
the  life  everlasting.  Heartily  accepting  that  substance  of  doctrine 
contained  in  the  ancient  symbols  of  the  undivided  Church,  in  the 
common  faith  which  belongs  to  all  Christians,  and  in  the  truth 
which  has  found  expression  in  our  communion  in  noble  deeds  and 
living  words  set  forth  by  those  whose  faith  we  follow,  we  humbly 
depend,  as  did  our  fathers,  on  the  continued  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God,  to  lead  us  into  all  truth. 

A  very  few  critics  objected  to  any  doctrinal  statement 
whatever.  But  ten  times  as  many,  and  probably  more,  de- 
clared that  the  Commission  should  have  gone  farther,  and 
without  attempting  an  extended  or  rigid  creed,  should  put 
in  the  forefront  of  the  Constitution  a  simple  declaration  of 
faith,  beginning,  not  with  an  assumption,  but  a  declaration, 
and  changing  the  participial  clause  with  which  the  Com- 
mission had  deliberately  begun  its  statement  to  a  positive 
utterance  of  faith. 

From  many  quarters,  also,  came  the  plea  for  a  statement 
which  might  be  used  for  other  purposes  as  individual 
churches  and  church  members  should  find  occasion.  And 
it  was  urged  that  the  statement  be  more  definitely  christo- 
logical.  The  Chicago  Ministers'  Union  made  this  request 
in  formal  resolution  and  it  was  echoed  in  scores  of  places. 

Acting  under  this  widespread  request,  the  Commission 
prepared  the  short  declaration  of  faith  which  is  found  in 
the  preamble  of  the  new  Constitution. 

The  Congregational  Churches  of  the  United  States,  by  delegates 
in  National  Council  assembled,  reserving  all  the  rights  and  cher- 
ished memories  belonging  to  this  organization  under  its  former 
Constitution,  and  declaring  the  steadfast  allegiance  of  the  churches 
composing  the  Council  to  the  faith  which  our  fathers  confessed, 
which  from  age  to  age  has  found  its  expression  in  the  historic 
creeds  of  the  Church  universal  and  of  this  Communion,  and  affirm- 
ing our  loyalty  to  the  basic  principles  of  our  representative  democ- 
racy, hereby  set  forth  the  things  most  surely  believed  among  us 
concerning  faith,  polity  and  fellowship: 

Faith 
We  believe   in    God  the   Father,   infinite   in  wisdom,   goodness, 
and  love;  and  in  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  who 
for  us  and  our  salvation  lived  and  died,  and  rose  again  and  liveth 


THE   NATIONAL    COUNCIL 411 

evermore;  and  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  taketh  of  the  things  of 
Christ  and  revealeth  them  to  us,  renewing,  comforting,  and  inspir- 
ing the  souls  of  men.  We  are  united  in  striving  to  know  the  will 
of  God  as  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  in  our  purpose  to 
walk  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  made  known  or  to  be  made  known 
to  us.  We  hold  it  to  be  the  mission  of  the  Church  of  Christ  to 
proclaim  the  gospel  to  all  mankind,  exalting  the  worship  of  the 
one  true  God,  and  laboring  for  the  progress  of  knowledge,  the 
promotion  of  justice,  the  reign  of  peace,  and  the  realization  of 
human  brotherhood.  Depending,  as  did  our  fathers,  upon  the 
continued  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  lead  us  into  all  truth, 
we  work  and  pray  for  the  transformation  of  the  world  into  the 
kingdom  of  God;  and  we  look  with  faith  for  the  triumph  of  right- 
eousness and  the  life  everlasting. 

Polity 
We  believe  in  the  freedom  and  responsibility  of  the  individual 
soul,  and  the  right  of  private  judgment.  We  hold  to  the  autonomy 
of  the  local  church  and  its  independence  of  all  ecclesiastical  con- 
trol. We  cherish  the  fellowship  of  the  churches,  united  in  dis- 
trict, state  and  national  bodies,  for  counsel  and  co-operation  in 
matters  of  common  concern. 

The  Wider  Fellowship 
While  affirming  the  liberty  of  our  churches,  and  the  validity  of 
our  ministry,  we  hold  to  the  unity  and  catholicity  of  the  Church 
of  Christ,  and  will  unite  with  all  its  branches  in  hearty  co-opera- 
tion; and  will  earnestly  seek,  so  far  as  in  us  lies,  that  the  prayer 
of  our  Lord  for  his  disciples  may  be  answered,  that  they  all  may 
be  one. 

Who  Creates  the  National  Council?  Although  the  dele- 
gates to  the  National  Council  are  elected  by  District  Asso- 
ciations and  State  Conferences,  they  are  constituted  by  the 
churches.  Both  the  old  and  the  new  Constitutions  of  the 
National  Council  definitely  affirm  this  principle. 

The   Churches    Constitute   the    Council.    The    Congregational 

churches  of  the  United  States,  not  their  Associations  and  Confer- 
ences, are  the  constituent  members  as  saith  its  constitution.  The 
delegates  to  the  meetings  of  the  Council,  elected  in  the  local  and 
state  bodies,  are  representatives  of  the  churches  which  directly 
compose  those  bodies  and  the  Council.  Thus  our  highest  admin- 
istrative agency  is  but  one  step  removed  from  the  churches  them- 
selves.— Nash:  Cong.  Administration,  p.  132. 

Do  Delegates  Represent  Associations?  Delegates  to  the 
National  Council  represent  the  churches.  For  convenience 
they  are  elected  in  part  by  District  Associations  and  in  part 
by  State  Conferences,  but  the  Constitution  definitely  and 
with   purpose   states   that   "the   churches   in   each    District 


412        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

Association"  and  "the  churches  in  each  State  Conference 
shall  be  represented"  by  the  delegates  which  the  churches 
elect  through  these  representative  bodies. 

Must  Members  of  the  National  Council  Reside  Within 
the  District  Which  Elects  Them?  The  Constitution  of  the 
National  Council  provides  in  Article  3,  Section  i,  paragraph 
D,  that  a  delegate  who  removes  from  the  bounds  of  the 
Conference  or  Association  by  which  he  has  been  elected, 
shall  be  deemed  by  the  fact  of  that  removal  to  have  resigned 
his  membership  in  the  Council,  and  the  Conference  or 
Association  may  proceed  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  by  elec- 
tion. If  the  question  be  asked,  Could  the  Conference  or 
Association  elect  him  again  after  he  removed?  the  answer 
is  that  it  probably  would  not  do  that,  but  that  it  could  not 
be  prevented  if  it  chose.  The  District  Association  has 
sometimes  been  represented  by  delegates  residing  in  the 
state  but  outside  the  bounds  of  the  Association.  This  has 
usually  been  because  the  Association  found  it  impossible 
to  be  represented  by  one  of  its  own  resident  members.  It 
is  desirable  that  delegates  should  reside  in  the  district  which 
elects  them,  but  if  an  Association  or  Conference  elects  a 
delegate  deliberately  with  the  knowledge  that  he  is  not  a 
resident,  the  National  Council  cannot  exclude  him  from 
membership. 

The  Council  in  1915  voted  that  a  delegate  who  at  the 
time  of  his  election  lives  outside  the  district  or  state  electing 
him  may  nevertheless  be  seated  as  a  delegate. 

How  Are  Vacancies  Filled?  Each  state  or  district 
organization  which  elects  delegates  to  the  National  Council 
may  provide  in  its  own  way  for  the  filling  of  vacancies,  but 
the  Constitution  provides  that  in  the  absence  of  any  special 
rule  on  the  part  of  such  state  or  district  body,  the  Council 
will  recognize  the  right  of  the  delegates  present  to  fill 
vacancies  in  their  own  delegation. 

May  an  Alternate  Be  Displaced?  If  a  primary  delegate 
does  not  appear  and  his  alternate  is  seated  in  his  stead,  the 
properly  accredited  alternate  or  substitute  succeeds  the  pri- 


THE    NATIONAL    COUNCIL  413 

mary  delegate  for  his  entire  term  and  the  primary  becomes 
the  alternate.  This  membership  holds  good  also  in  the 
several  societies.  An  alternate  or  substitute  enrolled  as  a 
member  of  the  Council  and  certified  to  the  societies  for 
membership  therein,  shall  be  thereafter  deemed  a  member 
instead  of  the  primary  delegate  for  the  term  for  which  that 
delegate  was  elected. 

May  There  Be  Temporary  Alternates?  A  new  by-law 
adopted  by  the  National  Council  at  New  Haven  in  1915, 
wisely  provided  an  arrangement  whereby  the  absence  of  a 
delegate  from  one  or  more  sessions  of  a  meeting  of  the 
National  Council  shall  not  deprive  him  of  his  seat  or  lessen 
the  representation  of  the  body  electing  him  if  a  duly  ac- 
credited alternate  from  the  body  which  elected  him  is  avail- 
able for  substitution  in  his  stead.  Under  this  new  ruling  if 
a  delegate  is  unable  to  be  present  at  the  opening  of  a  meet- 
ing of  the  Council,  he  can  nevertheless  be  enrolled  and  his 
seat  can  be  taken  by  his  alternate  until  the  time  of  the 
arrival  of  the  primary.  If  the  primary  is  called  away  before 
the  end  of  a  meeting,  his  alternate  may  be  enrolled  in  his 
stead  for  the  remaining  sessions  of  the  meeting.  This  is  a 
matter  of  special  importance  in  its  effect  upon  the  standing 
of  four-year  delegates.  Under  the  operation  of  this  plan, 
a  four-year  delegate  who  is  compelled  to  leave  the  first 
meeting  of  the  Council  of  which  his  election  constitutes 
him  a  member,  and  in  whose  place  an  alternate  is  seated 
for  the  remaining  sessions  of  that  meeting,  does  not  lose 
his  place  as  a  delegate  to  the  Council  at  its  meeting  two 
years  later. 

The  question  whether  in  such  substitution  a  particular 
alternate  must  act  for  a  particular  delegate,  is  one  which 
the  Council  does  not  itself  decide.  The  Association  or  Con- 
ference electing  delegates  and  alternates  is  entitled  to  deter- 
mine in  what  order  they  are  to  become  eligible  for  service. 
But  unless  the  electing  body  by  vote  determines  a  plan  of 
limitation,  the  delegate  is  at  liberty  to  deputize  any  alter- 


414         THE    LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

nate  who  has  been  accredited  as  such  by  the  body  by  which 
he  himself  has  been  elected. 

By-Law  XVIII.  A  duly  enrolled  delegate  may  deputize  any 
alternate  duly  appointed  by  the  body  appointing  the  delegate,  to 
act  for  him,  at  any  session  of  the  Council  by  special  designation 
applicable  to  the  session  in  question. 

If  no  Delegate  Appears  Is   Representation  Lost?     If 

neither  the  primary  nor  his  substitute  appears  at  the  first 
meeting  after  his  election,  the  members  having  been  elected 
for  a  period  of  four  years,  the  election  holds  valid  for  the 
second  biennial  and  any  specially  called  Councils.  A  dele- 
gate who  cannot  attend  the  first  meeting  and  is  unable  to 
provide  a  substitute,  may  and  should  file  his  credentials, 
and  thereby  become  a  member  of  the  Council  entitled  to 
vote  at  the  intervening  annual  meeting  of  the  several  mis- 
sionary societies. 

(1)  Membership  in  the  Council  shall  entitle  one  to  voting 
membership  in  the  several  benevolent  societies  only  when  the 
certificate  of  election  as  delegate  is  approved  by  the  Committed  on 
Credentials  of  the  National   Council. 

(2)  In  the  absence  of  a  delegate  from  the  first  stated  meeting 
of  the  Council  after  his  election,  the  properly  accredited  substitute, 
being  duly  enrolled  and  present,  succeeds  the  primary  delegate 
for  the  entire  unexpired  term. 

(3)  If  any  delegate  cannot  be  present  at  the  first  meeting  of 
the  Council  after  his  election,  he  may  send  his  certificate  of  election 
to  the  Committee  on  Credentials,  and  if  his  place  is  not  filled  by 
a  substitute,  properly  enrolled,  the  primary  delegate  shall  be  en- 
rolled as  a  member,  in  absentia,  such  enrollment  being  equivalent 
to  attendance  as  evidence  of  membership. 

(4)  The  substitute  for  the  primary  delegate  shall  have  the  same 
privilege  of  presenting  his  credentials,  in  absentia,  accorded  to  the 
delegate;  and  if  said  primary  delegate  shall  not  be  enrolled,  and 
the  credentials  are  approved,  the  name  of  the  substitute  shall  be 
inserted  in  the  roll  as  having  qualified  as  a  member  of  the  Council. 
— Resolutions  National  Council,  1913. 

What  Is  the  Purpose  of  the  National  Council?  The  pur- 
pose of  the  National  Council  is  stated  in  the  second  article 
of  its  Constitution: 

The  purpose  of  the  National  Council  is  to  foster  and  express 
the  substantial  unity  of  the  Congregational  churches  in  faith, 
polity,  and  work;  to  consult  upon  and  devise  measures  and  main- 
tain agencies  for  the  promotion  of  their  common  interests;  to  co- 
operate with  any  corporation  or  body  under  control  of  or  affiliated 


THE   NATIONAL    COUNCIL  415 

with  the  Congregational  churches,  or  any  of  them;  and  to  do  and 
to  promote  the  work  of  the  Congregational  churches  of  the  United 
States  in  their  national,  international  and  interdenominational  rela- 
tions.—Art.  ii. 

How  Is  the  National  Council  Supported?  The  National 
Council  is  supported  by  a  per  capita  assessment  on  the 
membership  of  the  Congregational  churches,  which  is  uni- 
form throughout  all  the  states.  To  this  is  added  in  each 
state  the  percentage  necessary  for  the  support  of  the  state 
work,  and  the  two  are  collected  by  the  registrar  of  the 
State  Conference  through  the  District  Association.  The 
total  varies  as  the  expense  of  the  state  work  varies.  Neither 
the  District  Association  nor  the  State  Conference  nor  the 
National  Council  has  power  to  enforce  the  collection  of  this 
assessment,  and  it  sometimes  is  not  collected;  but  in  gen- 
eral the  churches  respond  with  reasonable  promptness.  The 
expenses  of  the  National  Council  are  small  as  compared 
with  those  of  the  national  organizations  of  many  denomina- 
tions, as  the  delegates  pay  their  own  expenses.  The  money 
collected  is  for  the  maintenance  of  the  office,  the  salary  of 
the  secretary  and  his  assistants,  the  publication  of  the  Year 
Book,  and  for  certain  authorized  expenses  incurred  by  com- 
missions of  the  Council. 

What  Is  the  Corporation  for  the  National  Council?    The 

corporation  for  the  National  Council  is  a  legal  body  incor- 
porated under  the  laws  of  Connecticut,  with  very  large  cor- 
porate powers,  enabling  it  to  do  such  acts  and  to  discharge 
such  trusts  as  properly  belong  to  such  a  corporation,  accord- 
ing to  the  constitution,  rules  and  instructions  of  the  National 
Council.  It  may  hold  real  estate  and  accept  trusts  either 
for  the  Council  or  for  any  Congregational  society  or  church, 
according  to  instructions  which  may  from  time  to  time  be 
given  to  it  by  the  National  Council. 

(5)  The  corporation  shall  receive  and  hold  all  property,  real 
and  personal,  of  the  Council,  and  all  property,  real  and  personal, 
which  may  be  conveyed  to  it  in  trust,  or  otherwise,  for  the  benefit 
of  Congregational  churches  or  of  any  Congregational  church;  and 
acting  for  the  Council  between  the  meetings  of  the  Council  in  all 
business   matters   not   otherwise   delegated   or   reserved,    shall    do 


416        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

such  acts  and  discharge  such  trusts  as  properly  belong  to  such  a 
corporation  and  are  in  conformity  to  the  constitution,  rules  and 
instructions  of  the  Council. 

(6)  The  corporation  may  adopt  for  its  government  and  the 
management  of  its  aflfairs,  standing  by-laws  and  rules  not  incon- 
sistent with  its  charter  or  with  the  constitution,  by-laws  and  rules 
of   the   Council. 

(7)  The  corporation  shall  make  such  reports  to  the  Council  as 
the  Council  may  require. — By-Laws  of  the  National  Council,  art. 
xii. 

What  Are  the  Functions  of  the  National  Council  Moder- 
ator? The  moderator  of  the  National  Council,  besides  pre- 
siding at  the  meeting  at  which  he  is  elected  and  at  any 
special  meeting  of  the  Council  during  his  term  of  office,  has, 
also,  according  to  the  present  Constitution,  a  representative 
function,  but  all  his  acts  are  devoid  of  authority,  and  his 
utterances  have  only  so  much  weight  as  is  in  the  reason 
of  them.  The  function  of  the  moderator  as  now  interpreted 
by  the  National  Council  is  the  result  of  an  interesting  evo- 
lution. From  the  beginning  of  the  Council  in  1871  until 
the  accession  of  Rev.  Amory  H.  Bradford,  D.  D.,  as  mod- 
erator in  1901,  the  moderator  was  simply  a  presiding  officer. 
Dr.  Bradford  introduced  a  change  in  this  custom  of  thirty 
years'  standing,  taking  his  suggestion  from  the  usage  in 
England. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Council  in  Oberlin  in  1871  con- 
tinued several  days  under  its  temporary  organization  before 
electing  as  its  permanent  moderator  Rev.  William  Ives 
Buddington,  D.  D.,  of  Brooklyn.  The  constitution  adopted 
toward  the  close  of  the  meeting  provided  that 

At  the  beginning  of  every  stated  or  special  session  there  shall 
be  chosen,  from  those  present  as  members,  a  moderator  and  one 
or  more  assistant  moderators,  to  preside  over  their  deliberations. 

At  St.  Louis  in  1880  the  question  of  the  eligibility  of 
honorary  members  was  raised,  and  it  was  voted 

That  in  the  opinion  of  the  Council,  honorary  members  are  not 
eligible  to  the  office  of  moderator. 

This  vote  was  virtually  set  aside  at  Kansas  City  in  1913 
by  the  election  of  an  honorary  member  as  first  assistant 


THE   NATIONAL   COUNCIL  417 

moderator;  and  this  precedent  makes  an  honorary  member 
eligible  as  moderator  or  assistant. 

At  the  beginning  of  each  of  the  early  meetings  there 
was  considerable  waste  of  time  through  lack  of  preparation 
of  business.  The  Council  of  1886  which  met  in  Chicago 
was  in  very  many  respects  a  notable  one.  Not  the  least  of 
its  features  of  interest  was  the  activity  of  the  Provisional 
Committee,  which,  under  the  chairmanship  of  an  efficient 
young  layman,  Samuel  B.  Capen,  frankly  exceeded  its 
powers,  laid  out  a  program  with  business  arranged  from 
the  beginning,  and  submitted  nominations  for  the  more  im- 
portant committees. 

In  reporting  these  innovations,  the  committee  said : 

A  practical  matter  in  the  organization  of  the  Council  calls  for 
your  recognition  and  action  if  the  Council  please.  The  business 
of  such  a  body  must  take  shape  largely  in  the  hands  of  committees, 
and  they  need  to  be  appointed  as  early  as  possible  to  give  time 
for  deliberation  and  due  reports.  But  the  moderator  comes  to 
the  chair  with  no  anticipation,  and  in  shaping  committees  in  haste, 
and  from  a  roll  still  to  be  made  out,  would  be  likely  to  miss  some 
of  the  best  results,  regarding  both  geographical  considerations 
and  the  assignment  of  the  very  best  men  to  important  places;  nor 
would  their  selection  by  nomination  be  any  safer.  Not  because 
we  desire  the  responsibility,  but  under  our  general  instructions  to 
make  "needful  arrangements,"  and  following  the  actual  usage  of 
previous  years,  we  choose  to  be  frank  in  saying  that  we  have  made 
provisional  selection  of  some  such  committees,  subject,  of  course, 
to  your  approval,  by  the  voice  of  your  moderator  or  otherwise, 
as  you  may  direct. 

The  difficulty  seems  to  call  for  your  action  in  one  of  two  ways, 
cither  giving  the  Provisional  Committee  authority  to  act  as  a 
nominating  committee,  at  the  outset  of  the  session,  and  until  a 
nominating  committee  is  chosen;  or,  precluding  such  action  on 
their  part,  by  requiring  the  selection  of  all  committees  by  the 
suffrage  of  the  Council  itself  when  assembled. 

The  Council  was  gratified  by  the  efficiency  of  its  Pro- 
visional Committee,  but  was  fearful  of  the  abuse  of  power 
by  subsequent  committees.  It  therefore  was  unwilling  to 
lodge  with  the  Provisional  Committee  so  much  of  power 
as  had  been  suggested.  It  hit  upon  what  seemed  the  happy 
way  of  providing  for  the  prompt  organization  of  the  Coun- 
cil without  danger  of  overmuch  politics.  If  the  moderator 
of  the  last  Council  (they  did  not  call  him  the  retiring  mod- 


418        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

erator)  were  to  call  the  next  Council  to  order  and  appoint 
the  committees  for  business,  credentials  and  nomination,  at 
the  Council  "subsequent  to  the  one  at  which  he  is  elected" 
(they  underscored  the  word  "subsequent"  for  it  was  their 
new  idea)  no  danger  of  centralization  could  arise. 

The  committee  of  seven  to  whom  the  matter  was  re- 
ferred reported  later  in  the  meetings  the  following,  which 
later  became  the  Fourteenth  By-Law: 

Presiding  officers  shall  retain  their  offices  until  their  successors 
are  chosen,  and  the  presiding  moderator,  at  the  opening  of  the 
session  subsequent  to  the  one  at  which  he  was  elected,  shall  name 
the  Nominating  Committee,  the  Business  Committee,  and  the  Com- 
mittee on  Credentials;  and  he  shall  be  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Council. 

So  small  did  the  moderator  bulk  in  this  plan  in  the  mind 
of  the  Council  that  one  searches  in  vain  through  the  index 
of  the  minutes  of  the  Council  of  1886  for  the  word  "moder- 
ator." Nor  does  the  action  appear  under  the  caption  "Mod- 
erator" in  the  National  Council  Digest.  The  committee  that 
drafted  this  by-law  were  surprised  in  later  years  when  they 
found  that  they  had  made  possible  the  theory  of  a  moder- 
atorship  which  might  be  held  over  from  one  Council  to  th« 
next.  Such,  certainly,  was  not  their  intention,  and  it  is 
equally  certain  that  the  Council  would  have  voted  it  down 
had  it  suspected  that  such  an  interpretation  could  be  put 
upon  it. 

The  very  next  meeting  of  the  Council  at  Worcester  in 
1889  abridged  the  powers  of  the  moderator.  Two  of  the 
three  committees  were  taken  away  from  the  moderator. 
Only  one  was  left  to  him,  the  Committee  on  Nominations, 
and  at  Syracuse  in  1895  this  one  remaining  committee  was 
made  not  an  appointment  but  a  nomination  by  the  moder- 
ator, subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Council. 

At  Portland,  Maine,  in  1901,  it  was  voted  that  "The 
moderator  is  expected  to  open  the  Council  immediately  fol- 
lowing the  one  at  which  he  is  elected  with  an  address  on 
a  subject  to  be  selected  by  himself."     This  the  moderator 


THE    NATIONAL    COUNCIL 419 

was  already  doing,  and  the  custom  had  met  with  favor,  and 
was  thus  approved  for  subsequent  Councils. 

At  Des  Moines  in  1904,  the  Council  was  asked  to  define 
the  sphere  of  the  moderatorship,  and  a  report  was  presented 
by  a  committee  which  set  forth  that  the  sphere  of  the  mod- 
eratorship had  twice  been  enlarged,  once  by  providing  that 
the  moderator  should  preside  at  the  organization  of  the 
following  Council,  and  again  in  permitting  him  to  deliver 
an  opening  address,  and  it  advised  in  favor  of  a  further 
enlargement  of  his  sphere  of  influence.  The  resolution  pro- 
posed was  as  follows: 

In  view  of  the  widening  opportunities  of  Congregationalism  and 
the  increasing  desire  for  fellowship  through  denominational  repre- 
sentation, it  is  the  sense  of  the  Council,  that  the  moderator  inter- 
pret his  position  generously,  as  having,  in  addition  to  presiding 
duties,  a  representative  function;  that  visiting  upon  invitation, 
churches  and  Associations,  so  far  as  he  may  be  able  and  disposed, 
addressing  the  churches,  if  in  his  judgment  occasion  requires  it, 
and,  in  general,  serving  the  churches,  be  regarded  as  his  preroga- 
tive. 

But  it  is  understood  that  all  his  acts  and  utterances  shall  be 
devoid  of  authority,  and  that  for  them  shall  be  claimed  and  to 
them  given  only  such  weight  and  force  as  there  is  weight  and 
force  in  the  reason  of  them. 

The  resolution  was  warmly  debated  on  the  floor  of  the 
Council,  some  members  claiming  that  it  was  unconstitu- 
tional and  based  on  the  misinterpretation  of  the  intent  of 
an  ambiguous  by-law.  It  was  urged  that  the  moderator 
must  be  a  member  of  the  Council,  and  that  all  member- 
ships expired  with  the  meeting,  regular  or  special,  and  that 
therefore  the  moderator  could  not  continue  to  exercise  the 
functions  of  that  office  without  plain  violation  of  the  Con- 
stitution as  it  then  read.  The  resolution,  however,  pre- 
vailed, and  has  been  accepted  since  as  the  Council's  inter- 
pretation of  the  Fourteenth  By-Law  as  it  stood  before  the 
present  revision. 

Recognizing  the  evident  desire  of  the  churches  as  repre- 
sented in  the  National  Council,  the  Committee  on  Consti- 
tution, in  drafting  the  new  Constitution  in  preparation  for 


420        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

the  Council  of  1913,  defined  the  moderator's  powers  in  terms 
of  wider  service  than  the  previous  Constitution. 

(1)  At  each  stated  meeting  of  the  Council  there  shall  be  chosen 
from  among  those  present  as  voting  members  of  the  Council,  a 
moderator  and  a  first  and  a  second  assistant  moderator,  who  shall 
hold  office  for  two  years  and  until  their  successors  are  elected  and 
qualified. 

(2)  The  moderator  shall  preside  at  the  opening  of  the  meeting 
of  the  Council  following  that  at  which  he  is  elected,  and  may 
deliver  an  address  on  a  subject  of  his  own  selection. 

(3)  The  moderator  immediately  after  his  election  shall  take 
the  chair,  and,  after  prayer,  shall  at  once  proceed  to  complete  the 
organization  of   the   Council. 

(4)  The  representative  function  of  the  moderator  shall  be  that 
of  visiting  and  addressing  churches  and  Associations  upon  their 
invitation,  so  far  as  he  may  be  able  and  disposed.  It  is  understood 
that  all  his  acts  and  utterances  shall  be  devoid  of  authority,  and 
that  for  them  shall  be  claimed  and  to  them  given  only  such  weight 
and  force  as  there  is  weight  and  force  in  the  reason  of  them. 

What  Are  the  Duties  of  the  Secretary  of  the  National 
Council?  The  Secretary  of  the  National  Council  is  both  a 
recording  and  corresponding  secretary.  He  keeps  the 
records  of  the  Council,  edits  and  distributes  programs  and 
registration  blanks  for  its  meetings,  and  gathers,  edits  and 
publishes  denominational  statistics.  He  is  also  in  the  nature 
of  the  case  in  frequent  consultation  with  officers  or  state 
organizations,  with  pastors  and  local  church  officers  and 
with  committees  and  commissions  of  the  National  Council. 
The  Council  in  session  at  Kansas  City  in  1913  thus  defines 
his  prerogatives  and  duties: 

The  secretary  shall  keep  the  records  and  conduct  the  corre- 
spondence of  the  Council  and  of  the  Executive  Committee.  He 
shall  edit  the  Year  Book  and  other  publications,  and  shall  send 
out  notices  of  all  meetings  of  the  Council  and  of  its  Executive 
Committee.  He  shall  aid  the  committees  and  commissions  of  the 
Council,  and  shall  be  the  secretary  of  the  Commission  on  Missions. 
He  shall  be  available  for  advice  and  help  in  matters  of  polity  and 
constructive  organization,  and  render  to  the  churches  such  services 
as  shall  be  appropriate  to  his  office.  He  may,  like  the  moderator, 
represent  the  Council  and  the  churches  in  interdenominational  rela- 
tions. For  his  aid  one  or  more  assistants  shall  be  chosen  at  each 
meeting  of  the  Council  to  serve  during  such  meeting. 

Is  There  Danger  That  the  National  Council  Will  Commit 
the    Denomination    to    Disastrous    Policies?     The    danger 


THE    NATIONAL    COUNCIL  421 

that  the  National  Council  will  some  time  assume  larger 
functions  than  belong  to  it  and  commit  the  denomination 
to  disastrous  policies  is  not  wholly  imaginary.  The  history 
of  denominational  organization  abounds  in  warnings.  The 
love  of  power  grows  easily  among  those  who  come  to 
possess  it,  and  some  organizations,  very  innocent  in  their 
inception,  have  developed  large  and  insidious  powers  of 
usurpation.  Two  things,  however,  are  to  be  remembered. 
First — The  National  Council  can  never  commit  the  churches 
beyond  their  own  power  of  veto  or  repeal.  Second — If 
the  National  Council  does  not  commit  the  denomination, 
someone  else  will.  The  Connecticut  Missionary  Society, 
a  state  organization,  committed  the  whole  denomination  to 
the  Plan  of  Union,  by  reason  of  which  the  growth  of  our 
churches  was  stifled  for  fifty-one  disastrous  years,  and  the 
deed  having  been  done,  was  done  beyond  recall  of  any  one 
state  organization.  It  required  what  was  practically  a 
National  Council  in  1852  to  repeal  what  the  single  state 
society  did  in  1801.  The  organic  unity  of  the  Congrega- 
tional churches  calls  for  a  vehicle  of  expression  through 
which  the  churches  may  speak  unitedly.  It  is  better  for 
the  denomination,  if  it  is  to  be  put  on  record  at  all,  to  speak 
through  an  authorized  medium  of  its  own  creation  rather 
than  through  some  unauthorized  and  non-representative 
body.  The  danger  is  not  averted  by  failing  to  use  an  ac- 
credited organization  such  as  the  National  Council;  on  the 
contrary,  the  experience  of  the  Congregational  churches 
tends  to  show  that  it  is  increased.  The  National  Council 
has  as  yet  no  blunder  to  its  credit  at  all  comparable  with 
the  Plan  of  Union  of  1801. 

Liberty  Not  Threatened.  It  is  time,  of  course,  to  repeat  the 
ancient  and  honorable  reminder  that  such  a  national  body  as  is 
now  being  described,  set  at  the  head  of  the  Congregational  repre- 
sentative system,  does  not  threaten  the  liberties  of  the  churches. 
It  declines  legislative  and  judicial  functions.  It  has  no  authority 
to  intrude  into  the  private  affairs  of  a  single  church.  It  offers 
no  coercive  interference  to  conferences  and  associations  in  their 
respective  fields.  As  we  have  seen,  the  churches  organize  the 
Council,  and  the  movement  is  from  below  upward.  The  Council 
has  nothing  but  what  is  left  over  from  the  lower  bodies — left  over 


422         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

because  too  great  for  even  state  management.  The  Council  is  a 
national  union  for  national  purposes.  On  these  wide  issues  it 
formulates  the  thought  and  will  of  the  churches.  It  spreads  these 
formulations  before  all  the  churches  at  once.  It  organizes  action 
in  which  the  whole  denomination  can  co-operate.  It  has  apparatus 
for  executing  the  ascertained  will  of  the  denomination.  Thus  it  is 
the  servant  of  the  whole  body,  the  agency  through  which  six  thou- 
sand churches  may  act  as  one  on  lines  of  universal  Congregational 
duty. — Nash:  Congregational  Administration,  pp.  149,  150. 

The  Churches  Rule  the  National  Council.  The  portion  of 
administrative  responsibility  which  should  be  nationally  met  being 
already  assigned  to  the  National  Council  we  have  an  arrangement 
simple,  obvious  and  flexible.  Every  group  of  churches  large  and 
small  can  make  itself  felt,  if  it  desires,  in  the  guidance  of  our 
world-wide  work.  We  can  easily  change  the  method  of  repre- 
sentation if  experience  shall  so  suggest.  We  can  introduce  features 
to  meet  special  conditions  as  in  providing  for  members  at  large 
for  one  Board  and  another.  We  can  provide  agencies  to  advise 
the  Council  concerning  the  detail  of  its  responsibilities  such  as  the 
Commission  on  Missions.  The  Council  by  reason  of  the  bulk  and 
importance  of  the  work  under  its  care  will  command  the  interest 
of  strong  men  and  women.  Decisions  reached  will  be  put  into 
force  without  delay  since  all  parts  of  the  missionary  structure  are 
included  in  a  unified  view.  Behind  the  whole  will  be  the  entire 
life  of  the  churches,  which  ought  surely  to  receive  new  vigor  from 
closer  and  more  responsible  contact  with  these  inspiring  tasks. — 
Herring:  Report  of  Secy.  Nat.  Council,  New  Haven,   1915. 

Congregationalism  and  Liberty.  The  greatest  contribution  of 
Congregationalism  to  American  life  has  been  its  sublime  faith  in 
liberty,  both  in  Church  and  State,  and  its  insistence  on  education 
as  an  indispensable  condition  of  the  maintenance  of  a  liberty  which 
will  not  degenerate  into  license. 

The  distinctive  message  of  present  day  Congregationalism  for 
America  is  a  call  to  repentance,  and  to  faith  in  the  principles  of 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  law  both  for  individuals  and  nations,  the  mes- 
tage  unencumbered  by  any  doctrines  concerning  sacraments  or 
clerical  orders  or  ecclesiastical  organization,  and  set  free  from  all 
traditional  theories  and  interpretations  which  hinder  the  progress 
of  the  kingdom  of  love. — Charles  E.  Jefferson. 

Congregationalists  have  a  distinct  message  and  mission  to  mod- 
ern thought  and  life.  They  stand  for  essential  loyalty  to  evangeli- 
cal Christianity,  preserving  its  permanent  content  as  historically 
transmitted,  but  adapting  its  statement  reverently  and  courageously 
to  the  thought-forms  of  the  generation.  Congregational  churches 
offer  a  hospitable  and  satisfying  home  for  souls  who  are  determined 
to  think  for  themselves  in  religion,  who  crave  simple  forms  for  the 
expression  of  common  worship,  and  who  cherish  the  ideal  of  free- 
dom in  Church  and  State  alike.  The  genius  of  Congregationalism 
is  close  kin  to  that  of  American  democracy  and  the  permanence  of 
its  service  to  American  life  is  warranted  by  this  hct.—Osora  S. 
Davis. 


THE    NATIONAL    COUNCIL 423 

THE   CONSTITUTION  AND   BY-LAWS  OF   THE 

NATIONAL  COUNCIL 

(Adopted  October  25,  1913.) 

(Including  the  Amendments  adopted  at  New  Haven,  October,  1915.) 


The  Congregational  Churches  of  the  United  States,  by  delegates 
in  National  Council  assembled,  reserving  all  the  rights  and  cher- 
ished memories  belonging  to  this  organization  under  its  former 
constitution,  and  declaring  the  steadfast  allegiance  of  the  churches 
composing  the  Council  to  the  faith  w^hich  our  fathers  confessed, 
which  from  age  to  age  has  found  its  expression  in  the  historic 
creeds  of  the  Church  universal  and  of  this  communion,  and  affirm- 
ing our  loyalty  to  the  basic  principles  of  our  representative  democ- 
racy, hereby  set  forth  the  things  most  surely  believed  among  us 
concerning  faith,  polity,  and  fellowship: 


We  believe  in  God  the  Father,  infinite  in  wisdom,  goodness, 
and  love;  and  in  Jesus  Christ,  his  Son,  our  Lord  and  Saviour,  who 
for  us  and  our  salvation  lived  and  died  and  rose  again  and  liveth 
evermore;  and  in  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  taketh  of  the  things  of 
Christ  and  revealeth  them  to  us,  renewing,  comforting,  and  inspir- 
ing the  souls  of  men.  We  are  united  in  striving  to  know  the  will 
of  God  as  taught  in  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  in  our  purpose  to 
walk  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  made  known  or  to  be  made  known 
to  us.  We  hold  it  to  be  the  mission  of  the  Church  of  Christ  to 
proclaim  the  gospel  to  all  mankind,  exalting  the  worship  of  the 
one  true  God,  and  laboring  for  the  progress  of  knowledge,  the 
promotion  of  justice,  the  reign  of  peace,  and  the  realization  of 
human  brotherhood.  Depending,  as  did  our  fathers,  upon  the 
continued  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  to  lead  us  into  all  truth, 
we  work  and  pray  for  the  transformation  of  the  world  into  the 
kingdom  of  God;  and  we  look  with  faith  for  the  triumph  of  right- 
eousness and  the  life  everlasting. 

POLITY 

We  believe  in  the  freedom  and  responsibility  of  the  individual 
soul,  and  the  right  of  private  judgment.  We  hold  to  the  autonomy 
of  the  local  church  and  its  independence  of  all  ecclesiastical  con- 
trol. We  cherish  the  fellowship  of  the  churches,  united  in  district, 
state,  and  national  bodies,  for  counsel  and  co-operation  in  matters 
of  common  concern. 

THE    WIDER    FELLOWSHIP 

While  affirming  the  liberty  of  our  churches,  and  the  validity  of 


424        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

our  ministry,  we  hold  to  the  unity  and  catholicity  of  the  Church 
of  Christ,  and  will  unite  with  all  its  branches  in  hearty  co-operation; 
and  will  earnestly  seek,  so  far  as  in  us  lies,  that  the  prayer  of  our 
Lord  for  his  disciples  may  be  answered,  that  they  all  may  be  one. 
United  in  support  of  these  principles,  the  Congregational 
Churches  in  National  Council  assembled  agree  in  the  adoption  of 
the  following  Constitution: 

ARTICLE  I.— NAME 

The  name  of  this  body  is  the  National  Council  of  the  Congre- 
gational Churches  of  the  United  States. 

ARTICLE    II.— PURPOSE 

The  purpose  of  the  National  Council  is  to  foster  and  express 
the  substantial  unity  of  the  Congregational  churches  in  faith,  polity, 
and  work;  to  consult  upon  and  devise  measures  and  maintain  agen- 
cies for  the  promotion  of  their  common  interests;  to  co-operate 
with  any  corporation  or  body  under  control  of  or  affiliated  with 
the  Congregational  churches,  or  any  of  them;  and  to  do  and  to 
promote  the  work  of  the  Congregational  churches  of  the  United 
States  in  their  national,  international,  and  interdenominational  re- 
lations. 

ARTICLE   III.— MEMBERS 

1.  Delegates,  (a)  The  churches  in  each  District  Association 
shall  be  represented  by  one  delegate.  Each  association  having 
more  than  ten  churches  shall  be  entitled  to  elect  one  additional 
delegate  for  each  additional  ten  churches  or  major  fraction  thereof. 
The  churches  in  each  State  Conference  shall  be  represented  by 
one  delegate.  Each  conference  having  churches  whose  aggregate 
membership  is  more  than  ten  thousand  shall  be  entitled  to  elect 
one  additional  delegate  for  each  additional  ten  thousand  members 
or  major  fraction  thereof.  States  having  associations  but  no 
conference,  or  vice  versa,  shall  be  entitled  to  their  full  representa- 
tion. 

(b)  Delegates  shall  be  divided,  as  nearly  equally  as  practicable, 
between  ministers  and  laymen. 

(c)  The  Secretary  and  the  Treasurer  shall  be  members,  ex  of- 
ficiis,  of  the  Council. 

(rf)  Any  delegate  who  shall  remove  from  the  bounds  of  the 
conference  or  association  by  which  he  has  been  elected  to  the 
Council  shall  be  deemed  by  the  fact  of  that  removal  to  have  re- 
signed his  membership  in  the  Council,  and  the  Conference  or 
Association  may  proceed  to  fill  the  unexpired  term  by  election. 

2.  Honorary  Members.  Former  moderators  and  assistant  mod- 
erators of  the  Council,  ministers  serving  the  churches  entertaining 
the  the  Council,  persons  selected  as  preachers  or  to  prepare  papers, 
or  to  serve  upon  committees  or  commissions  chosen  by  the  Council, 
missionaries  present  who  are  in  the  service  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  and  have  been  not  less 
than  seven  years  in  that  service,  together  with  one  delegate  each 
from  such  theological  seminaries  and  colleges  as  are  recognized  by 


THE    NATIONAL    COUNCIL  425 

the  Council,  may  be  enrolled  as  honorary  members  and  shall  be 
entitled  to  all  privileges  of  members  in  the  meeting  of  the  Council 
except  those  of  voting  and  initiation  of  business. 

3.  Corresponding  Members.  The  Council  shall  not  increase  its 
own  voting  membership,  but  members  of  other  denominations, 
present  by  invitation  or  representing  their  denominations,  repre- 
sentatives of  Congregational  bodies  in  other  lands,  and  other  per- 
sons who  represent  important  interests,  or  have  rendered  distin- 
guished services,  may,  by  vote,  be  made  corresponding  members, 
and  entitled  to  the  courtesy  of  the  floor. 

4.  Vacancies  and  Alternates.  Each  state  or  district  organization 
may  provide  in  its  own  way  for  filling  vacancies  in  its  delegation. 
In  the  absence  of  any  special  rule  on  the  part  of  such  state  or 
district  body,  the  Council  will  recognize  the  right  of  the  delegates 
present  to  fill  vacancies  in  their  own  delegation. 

An  alternate  or  substitute  enrolled  as  a  member  of  the  Council 
and  certified  to  the  societies  for  membership  therein,  shall  be  there- 
after deemed  a  member  instead  of  the  primary  delegate  for  the 
term  for  which  that  delegate  was  elected. 

5.  Terms  of  Membership.  At  its  stated  meeting  in  1915,  the 
National  Council  will  divide  all  delegates,  unless  they  shall  have 
been  so  divided  by  the  bodies  electing  them,  into  two  classes,  to 
serve  respectively  for  two  and  four  years.  Thereafter  the  term  of 
delegates  shall  be  four  years. 

The  term  of  a  member  shall  begin  at  the  opening  of  the  next 
stated  meeting  of  the  Council  after  his  election,  and  shall  expire 
with  the  opening  of  the  second  stated  meeting  of  the  Council  there- 
after. He  shall  be  a  member  of  any  intervening  special  meeting  of 
the  Council. 

ARTICLE   IV.— MEETINGS 

1.  Stated  Meetings.  The  churches  shall  meet  in  National  Council 
once  in  two  years,  the  time  and  place  of  meeting  to  be  announced 
at  least  six  months  previous  to  the  meeting. 

2.  Special  Meetings.  The  National  Council  shall  convene  in  spe- 
cial meeting  whenever  any  seven  of  the  general  state  organizations 
so  request. 

3.  Quorum.  Delegates  present  from  a  majority  of  the  states 
entitled  to  representation  in  the  Council  shall  constitute  a  quorum. 

ARTICLE  v.— BY-LAWS 
The  Council  may  make  and  alter  By-Laws  at  any  stated  meet- 
ing by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  members  present  and  voting;  provided, 
that  no  new  By-Law  shall  be  enacted  and  no  By-Law  altered  or 
repealed  on  the  day  on  which  the  change  is  proposed. 

ARTICLE    VI.— AMENDMENTS 

This  Constitution  shall  not  be  altered  or  amended,  except  at  a 
stated  meeting,  and  by  a  two-thirds  vote  of  those  present  and 
voting,  notice  thereof  having  been  given  at  a  previous  stated 
meeting,  or  the  proposed  alteration  having  been  requested  by  some 
general  state  organization  of  churches  entitled  to  representation 
in  the  Council,  and  published  with  the  notification  of  the  meeting. 


426         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

BY-LAWS 
I.— THE  CALL  OF  A  MEETING   OF  THE  COUNCIL 

1.  The  call  for  any  meeting  shall  be  issued  by  the  Executive 
Committee  and  signed  by  their  chairman  and  by  the  Secretary 
of  the  Council.  It  shall  contain  a  list  of  topics  proposed  for 
consideration  at  the  meeting.  The  Secretary  shall  seasonably  fur- 
nish blank  credentials  and  other  needful  papers  to  the  scribes  of 
the  several  district  and  state  organizations  of  the  churches  entitled 
to  representation  in  the  Council. 

2.  The  meetings  shall  ordinarily  be  held  in  the  latter  part  of 
October. 

II.— THE  FORMATION   OF  THE  ROLL 

Immediately  after  the  call  to  order  the  Secretary  shall  collect 
the  credentials  of  delegates  present,  and  these  persons  shall  be 
prima  facie  the  voting  membership  for  purposes  of  immediate  or- 
ganization. Contested  delegations  shall  not  delay  the  permanent 
organization,  but  shall  be  referred  to  the  Committee  on  Creden- 
tials, all  contested  delegations  refraining  from  voting  until  their 
contest  is  settled. 

III.— THE   MODERATOR 

1.  At  each  stated  meeting  of  the  Council  there  shall  be  chosen 
from  among  the  members  of  the  Council,  a  Moderator  and  a  first 
and  second  Assistant  Moderator,  who  shall  hold  office  for  two 
years  and  until  their  successors  are  elected  and  qualified. 

2.  The  Moderator  immediately  after  his  election  shall  take 
the  chair,  and  after  prayer  shall  at  once  proceed  to  complete  the 
organization  of  the  Council,  and  to  cause  rules  of  order  to  be 
adopted. 

3.  The  representative  function  of  the  Moderator  shall  be  that 
of  visiting  and  addressing  churches  and  associations  upon  their 
invitations,  and  of  representing  the  Council  and  the  Congrega- 
tional churches  in  the  wider  relations  of  Christian  fellowship,  so 
far  as  he  may  be  able  and  disposed.  It  is  understood  that  all  his 
acts  and  utterances  shall  be  devoid  of  authority  and  that  for  them 
shall  be  claimed  and  to  them  given  only  such  weight  and  force 
as  inhere  in  the  reason  of  them. 

4.  The  Moderator  shall  preside  at  the  opening  of  the  stated 
meeting  of  the  Council  following  that  at  which  he  is  elected,  and 
may  deliver  an  address  on  a  subject  of  his  own  selection. 

IV.— THE  SECRETARY 
The  Secretary  shall  keep  the  records  and  conduct  the  corre- 
spondence of  the  Council  and  of  the  Executive  Committee.  He 
shall  edit  the  Year  Book  and  other  publications,  and  shall  send 
out  notices  of  all  meetings  of  the  Council  and  of  its  Executive 
Committee.  He  shall  aid  the  committees  and  commissions^  of  the 
Council  and  shall  be  secretary  of  the  Commission  on  Missions. 
He  shall  be  available  for  advice  and  help  in  matters  of  polity  and 
constructive  organization,  and  render  to  the  churches  such  services 
as  shall  be  appropriate  to  his  office.  He  may,  like  the  Moderator, 
represent  the  Council  and  the  churches  in  interdenominational  rela- 


THE    NATIONAL    COUNCIL  427 


tions.     For  his  aid  one  or  more  assistants  shall  be  chosen  at  each 
meeting  of  the  Council  to  serve  during  such  meeting. 

v.— THE  TREASURER 

The  Treasurer  shall  receive  and  hold  all  income  contributed 
or  raised  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the  Council,  shall  disburse  the 
same  on  the  orders  of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  shall  give 
bond  in  such  sum  as  the  Executive  Committee  shall  from  time  to 
time  determine. 

VI.— TERM   OF  OFFICE 

The  term  of  office  of  the  Secretary,  Treasurer,  and  of  any  other 
officer  not  otherwise  provided  for  shall  begin  at  the  close  of  the 
meeting  at  which  they  are  chosen,  and  continue  until  the  close  of 
the  next  stated  meeting,  and  until  their  successors  are  elected  and 
qualified. 

VII.— COMMITTEES 

As  soon  as  practicable  after  taking  the  chair,  the  Moderator 
shall  cause  to  be  read  to  the  Council  the  names  proposed  by  the 
Nominating  Committee  for  a  Business  Committee  and  a  Committee 
on  Credentials.  These  names  shall  be  chosen  so  as  to  secure  rep- 
resentation to  different  parts  of  the  country,  and  the  names  shall 
be  published  in  the  denominational  papers  at  least  one  month 
before  the  meeting  of  the  Council,  and  printed  with  t  e  call  of  the 
meeting.  The  Council  may  approve  these  nominations  or  change 
them  in  whole  or  in  part. 

1.  The  Committee  on  Credentials.  The  Committee  on  Credentials 
shall  prepare  and  report  as  early  as  practicable  a  roll  of  members. 
Of  this  committee  the  Secretary  shall  be  a  member. 

2.  The  Business  Committee.  The  Business  Committee  shall  consist 
of  not  less  than  nine  members.  It  shfall  prepare  a  docket  for  the 
use  of  the  Council,  and  subject  to  its  approval.  All  business  to  be 
proposed  to  the  Council  shall  first  be  presented  to  this  committee, 
but  the  Council  may  at  its  pleasure  consider  any  item  of  business 
for  which  such  provision  has  been  refused  by  the  committee. 

3.  The  Nominating  Committee.  The  Nominating  Committee  shall 
consist  of  nine  members,  to  be  elected  by  the  Council  on  the 
nomination  of  the  Moderator,  and  shall  serve  from  the  close  of  one 
stated  meeting  till  the  close  of  the  following  stated  meeting  of  the 
Council.  Five  members  shall  be  so  chosen  for  four  years,  and  four 
for  two  years,  and  thereafter  members  shall  be  chosen  for  four 
years.  This  committee  shall  nominate  to  the  Council  all  officers, 
committees,  and  commissions  for  which  the  Council  does  not  other- 
wise provide.  But  the  Council  may,  at  its  pleasure,  choose  commit- 
tees, commissions,  or  officers  by  nomination  from  the  floor  or 
otherwise  as  it  shall  from  time  to  time  determine.  Members  of  the 
Nominating  Committee  who  have  served  for  a  full  term  shall  not 
be  eligible  for  re-election  until  after  an  interval  of  two  years. 

4.  The  Executive  Committee.  The  Executive  Committee  shall  con- 
sist of  the  Moderator,  the  Secretary,  and  nine  other  persons,  and 
shall  be  so  chosen  that  the  terms  of  the  elected  members  shall 
ultimately  be  six  years,  the  term  of  three  members  expirmg  at  each 
stated  meeting  of  the  Council.  . 

5.  Other   Committees.     (1)    Other   committees   may  be   appomted 


428        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

from  time  to  time,  and  in  such  manner  as  the  Council  shall  deter- 
mine, to  make  report  during  the  meeting  at  which  they  are  ap- 
pointed. 

(2)  On  such  committees  any  member  of  the  Council,  voting  or 
honorary,  is  eligible  for  service. 

(3)  All  such  committees  terminate  their  existence  with  the 
meeting  at  which  they  are  appointed. 

(4)  No  question  or  report  will  be  referred  to  a  committee  except 
by  vote  of  the  Council. 

(5)  Committees  shall  consist  of  five  persons  unless  otherwise 
stated. 

(6)  Unless  otherwise  ordered,  the  f^rst  named  member  of  a 
committee  shall  be  chairman. 

VIII.— THE  EXECUTIVE  COMMITTEE 

1.  The  Executive  Committee  shall  transact  such  business  as  the 
Council  shall  from  time  to  time  direct,  and  in  the  intervals  between 
meetings  of  the  Council  shall  represent  the  Council  in  all  matters 
not  belonging  to  the  corporation  and  not  otherwise  provided  for. 
They  shall  have  authority  to  contract  for  all  necessary  expendi- 
tures and  to  appoint  one  or  more  of  their  number  who  shall  ap- 
prove and  sign  all  bills  for  payment;  shall  consult  the  interests 
of  the  Council  and  act  for  it  in  intervals  between  meetings  in  all 
matters  of  business  and  finance,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the 
Council;  and  shall  make  a  full  report  of  all  their  doings,  the  con- 
sideration of  which  shall  be  first  in  order  of  business  after  organi- 
zation. 

2.  They  may  fill  any  vacancy  occurring  in  their  own  number 
or  in  any  commission,  committee,  or  ofhce  in  the  intervals  of  meet- 
ing, the  persons  so  appointed  to  serve  until  the  next  meeting  of 
the  Council. 

3.  They  shall  appoint  any  committee  or  commission  ordered  by 
the  Council,  but  not  otherwise  appointed;  and  committees  or  com- 
missions so  appointed  shall  be  entered  in  the  minutes  as  by  action 
of  the  Council. 

4.  They  shall  select  the  place,  and  shall  specify  in  the  call  the 
place  and  precise  time  at  which  each  meeting  of  the  Council  shall 
begin. 

5.  They  shall  provide  a  suitable  form  of  voucher  for  the  expendi- 
tures of  the  Council,  and  shall  secure  a  proper  auditing  of  its 
accounts. 

6.  They  shall  prepare  a  definite  program  for  the  Council,  choos- 
ing a  preacher  and  selecting  topics  for  discussion  and  persons  to 
prepare  and  present  papers  thereon. 

7.  They  shall  assign  a  distinct  time,  not  to  be  changed  except 
by  special  vote  of  the  Council,  for 

(a)  The  papers  appointed  to  be  read  before  the  Council. 

(b)  The  commissions  appointed  by  one  Council  to  report  at 
the  next,  which  may  present  the  topics  referred  to  them  for  dis- 
cussion or  action. 

(c)  The  benevolent  societies  and  theological  seminaries. 


THE   NATIONAL   COUNCIL  429 


All  other  business  shall  be  set  for  other  specified  hours,  and 
shall  not  displace  the  regular  order,  except  by  special  vote  of  the 
Council. 

IX.— COMMISSIONS 

1.  Special  committees  appointed  to  act  ad  interim,  other  than 
the  Executive  Committee  and  Nominating  Committee,  shall  be 
designated  as  commissions. 

2.  Commissions  are  expected  to  report  at  the  next  meeting  fol- 
lowing their  appointment,  and  no  commission  other  than  the  Com- 
mission on  Missions  shall  continue  beyond  the  next  stated  meetmg 
of  the  Council  except  by  special  vote  of  the  Council. 

3.  No  commission  shall  incur  expense  except  as  authorized  by 
the  Council,  or  its  Executive  Committee. 

4.  Any  member  in  good  standing  of  a  Congregational  church  is 
eligible  for  service  on  any  commission,  or  ad  interim  committee. 

5  Commissions  shall  choose  their  own  chairmen,  but  the  first 
named  member  shall  call  the  first  meeting  and  act  as  temporary 
chairman  during  the  organization  of  the  commission. 

X.— CONGREGATIONAL   NATIONAL   SOCIETIES 

With  the  consent  of  our  National  Missionary  Societies  whose 
approval  is  a  necessary  preliminary,  the  following  shall  define  the 
relation  of  these  societies  to  the  National  Council: 

The  foreign  missionary  work  of  the  Congregational  churches 
of  the  United  States  shall  be  carried  on  under  the  auspices  of  the 
American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  and  the 
co-operating  Woman's  Boards  of  Missions;  and  the  home  mission- 
ary work  of  these  churches,  for  the  present  under  the  auspices  of 
the  Congregational  Home  Missionary  Society,  the  American  Mis- 
sionary Association,  the  Congregational  Education  Society  the 
Congregational  Church  Building  Society,  and  the  Congregational 
Sunday  School  and  Publishing  Society  hereinafter  called  the  Home 
Societies,  and  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Federation. 

1  The  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions. 
This  Board  and  the  co-operating  Woman's  Boards  shall  be  the 
agency  of  the  Congregational  churches  for  the  extension  of  Christ  s 
kingdom  abroad.  ,    ,       .         •         n  ^^a 

a.  Membership.  The  voting  membership  of  the  American  Board 
shall  consist,  in  addition  to  the  present  life  members  of  two  classes 
of  persons  (a)  One  class  shall  be  composed  of  the  members  of 
She  Snal  Council,  who  shall  be  deemed  nominated  as  corporate 
members  of  the  American  Board  by  their  election  and  certification 
S^  members  of  the  said  National  Council,  said  nominations  to  be 
?atifieTand  the  persons  so  named  elected  by  the  American  Board 
Their  terms  as  corporate  members  of  the  American  Board  shal 
end  in  each  case,  when  they  cease  to  be  niembers  of  the  National 
Council  (&)  There  may  also  be  chosen  by  the  American  Board 
one  hundred  and  fifty  corporate  n^embers-at-large.  The  said  one 
hundred  and  fifty  corporate  members-at-large  shall  be  chosen  in 
three  equal  sections,  and  so  chosen  that  the  term  of  each  section 
shall  be  ultimately  six  years,  one  section  bemg  chosen  every  second 
year  at  the  meeting  in  connection  with  the  meeting  of  the  National 


430        THE  LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Council.     No  new   voting  members,  other  than   herein   provided, 
shall  be  created. 

b.  Officers  and  Committees.  The  officers  and  committees  of  the 
American  Board  shall  be  such  as  the  Board  itself  may  from  time 
to  time  determine. 

c.  Meetings.  Regular  meetings  of  the  American  Board  shall  be 
held  annually.  That  falling  in  the  same  year  in  which  the  National 
Council  holds  its  meeting  shall  be  held  in  connection  with  the 
meeting  of  said  Council.  Meetings  in  other  years  shall  be  held  at 
such  time  and  place  as  the  Board  may  determine.  Important  busi- 
ness, especially  such  as  involves  extensive  modifications  of  policy, 
shall,  so  far  as  possible,  be  reserved  for  consideration  in  those 
meetings  held  in  connection  with  the  meeting  of  the  National 
Council. 

d.  Reports.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  American  Board  to  make 
a  full  and  accurate  report  of  its  condition  and  work  to  the  National 
Council  at  each  stated  meeting  of  that  body, 

2.  The  Home  Societies.  These  societies,  with  the  Woman's  Home 
Missionary  Federation,  shall  be  the  agencies  of  the  Congregational 
churches  for  the  extension  of  Christ's  kingdom  in  the  United  States. 

a.  Membership.  The  voting  membership  of  the  several  home 
societies  shall  consist,  in  addition  to  such  existing  life  members 
and  other  members  of  the  society  in  question  as  may  be  regarded 
as  legally  necessary,  of  two  classes  of  persons. 

(a)  One  class  shall  be  composed  of  the  members  of  the  Na- 
tional Council  so  long  as  they  remain  members  of  said  Council. 

(&)  There  may  also  be  chosen  corporate  members-at-large  by 
the  said  societies,  in  the  following  numbers,  viz.:  by  the  Congre- 
gational Home  Missionary  Society,  ninety;  by  the  American  Mis- 
sionary Association,  sixty;  by  the  Congregational  Church  Building 
Society,  thirty;  by  the  Congregational  Education  Society,  eighteen; 
and  by  the  Congregational  Sunday  School  and  Publishing  Society, 
eighteen.  The  said  corporate  members-at-large  shall  be  chosen 
by  each  of  the  said  societies  in  three  equal  sections  and  so  chosen 
that  the  term  of  each  section  shall  be  ultimately  six  years,  one 
section  being  chosen  every  second  year  at  the  meeting  held  in 
connection  with  the  meeting  of  the  National  Council.  In  this  selec- 
tion one-fifth  of  the  said  corporate  members-at-large  may  be  chosen 
from  the  organizations  for  the  support  of  Congregational  activities 
affiliated  in  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Federation.  No  new 
voting  members,  other  than  herein  provided,  shall  be  created  by 
any  society. 

h.  Officers  and  Committees.  The  officers  and  committees  of  the 
several  home  societies  shall  be  such  as  the  societies  themselves 
may  from  time  to  time  determine. 

c.  Meetings.  Regular  meetings  of  the  Home  Societies  shall  be 
held  annually.  Those  falling  in  the  same  year  in  which  the  Na- 
tional Council  holds  its  meeting  shall  be  held  in  connection  with 
the  meeting  of  said  Council.  Meetings  in  other  years  shall  be  held 
at  such  times  and  places  as  the  societies  themselves  may  deter- 
mine. Important  business,  especially  such  as  involves  extensive 
modifications  of  policy,  shall,  so  far  as  possible,  be  reserved  for 


THE   NATIONAL   COUNCIL 431 

consideration  in  those  meetings  held  in  connection  with  the  meet- 
ing of  the  National  Council. 

d.  Reports.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  each  of  the  Home  Societies 
to  make  a  full  and  accurate  report  of  its  condition  and  work  to 
the  National  Council  at  each  stated  meeting  of  that  body. 

XL— THE  COMMISSION  ON  MISSIONS 

1.  On  nomination  by  the  standing  committee  on  Nominations, 
the  National  Council  shall  elect  fourteen  persons,  and  on  nomina- 
tion by  the  several  national  societies,  home  and  foreign,  shall  also 
elect  one  person  from  each  society,  and  on  similar  nomination  one 
each  from  the  whole  body  of  Woman's  Boards  of  Foreign  Missions 
and  from  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Federation;  who,  to- 
gether with  the  Secretary  of  the  National  Council  ex  officio,  shall 
constitute  a  Commission  on  Missions. 

2.  Members.  The  members  of  the  Commission  on  Missions  shall 
be  divided  as  nearly  as  possible  into  two  equal  sections  in  such 
manner  that  the  term  of  each  section  shall  be  ultimately  four 
years  and  the  term  of  one  section  shall  expire  at  each  biennial 
meeting  of  the  Council.  In  these  choices  due  consideration  shall 
be  given  to  convenience  of  meeting,  as  well  as  to  the  geographical 
representation  of  the  churches.  No  member  except  the  Secretary 
of  the  National  Council,  whether  nominated  by  the  Standing  Com- 
mittee on  Nominations  of  the  National  Council  or  by  the  societies, 
who  has  served  on  said  Commission  for  two  full  successive  terms 
of  four  years  each,  shall  be  eligible  for  re-election  until  after  two 
years  shall  have  passed.  Unpaid  officers  of  any  of  the  missionary 
societies  of  the  churches  shall  be  eligible  to  this  Commission,  but 
no  paid  officer  or  employee  of  a  missionary  society  shall  be  eligible. 
The  Commission  shall  choose  its  own  chairman,  and  have  power 
to  fill  any  vacancy  in  its  own  number  until  the  next  stated  meeting 
of  the  Council. 

3.  Duties.  While  the  Commission  on  Missions  shall  not  be 
charged  with  the  details  of  the  administration  of  the  several  mis- 
sionary societies,  it  shall  be  its  duty  to  consider  the  work  of  the 
home  and  foreign  societies  above  named,  to  prevent  duplication  of 
missionary  activities,  to  effect  all  possible  economies  in  adminis- 
tration, and  to  seek  to  correlate  the  work  of  the  several  societies 
so  as  to  secure  the  maximum  of  efficiency  with  the  minimum  of 
expense.  It  shall  have  the  right  to  examine  the  annual  budgets  of 
the  several  societies  and  have  access  to  their  books  and  records. 
It  may  freely  give  its  advice  to  the  said  societies  regarding  prob- 
lems involved  in  their  work,  and  it  shall  make  recommendations 
to  the  several  societies  when,  in  its  judgment,  their  work  can  be 
made  more  efficient  or  economical.  It  shall  make  report  of  its 
action  to  the  National  Council,  at  each  stated  meeting  of  that 
body,  and  present  to  said  Council  such  recommendations  as  it  may 
deem  wise  for  the  furtherance  of  the  efficiency  and  economical 
administration  of  the  several  societies.  In  view  of  the  evident 
conviction  of  a  large  portion  of  the  churches  that  the  multiplicity 
of  the  Congregational  Home  Societies  is  not  consistent  with  the 
greatest  economy  and  efficiency,  the  Commission  on  Missions  shall 
examine  present  conditions  and  shall  recommend  to  the  National 
Council  such  simplification  or  consolidation  as  shall  seem  expedient. 


432        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

4.  Expenses.  The  members  of  the  Commission  on  Missions  shall 
serve  without  salary.  The  necessary  expenses  of  the  Commission 
shall  be  paid  from  the  treasury  of  the  National  Council,  and  said 
Council  may  limit  the  amount  of  expense  which  may  be  incurred 
in  any  year.  All  bills  for  payment  shall  be  certified  by  the  chair- 
man of  the  Commission. 

XII.— THE  CORPORATION   FOR  THE  NATIONAL  COUNCIL 

1.  The  corporate  members  of  the  corporation  shall  consist  of 
fifteen  persons,  elected  by  the  Council  at  stated  meetings,  and  of 
the  Moderator  and  Secretary  associated  ex  officiis  with  them. 

2.  The  terms  for  which  corporate  members  are  elected  shall  be 
fix  years. 

3.  The  corporate  members  elected  at  the  meeting  of  1910  are 
divided  into  two  classes  of  eight  and  seven  respectively.  The  suc- 
cessors of  the  class  of  eight  shall  be  chosen  at  the  meeting  of  1913 
and  of  the  class  of  seven  at  the  meeting  of  1915.  Those  so  elected 
shall  hold  office  until  their  successors  are  duly  elected. 

4.  The  corporation  shall  have  a  treasurer.  He  shall  administer 
his  office  as  the  by-laws  of  the  corporation  may  provide. 

5.  The  corporation  shall  receive  and  hold  all  property,  real  and 
personal,  of  the  Council,  and  all  property,  real  and  personal,  which 
may  be  conveyed  to  it  in  trust,  or  otherwise,  for  the  benefit  of 
Congregational  churches  or  of  any  Congregational  church;  and 
acting  for  the  Council  between  the  meetings  of  the  Council  in  all 
business  matters  not  otherwise  delegated  or  reserved,  shall  do  such 
acts  and  discharge  such  trusts  as  properly  belong  to  such  a  cor- 
poration and  are  in  conformity  to  the  constitution,  rules,  and  in- 
structions of  the  Council. 

6.  The  corporation  may  adopt  for  its  government  and  the  man- 
agement of  its  affairs  standing  by-laws  and  rules  not  inconsistent 
with  its  charter  nor  with  the  constitution,  by-laws,  and  rules  of  the 
Council. 

7.  The  corporation  shall  make  such  reports  to  the  Council  as 
the  Council  may  require. 

XIII.— DEVOTIONAL  AND  OTHER  SERVICES 

1.  In  the  sessions  of  the  National  Council,  half  an  hour  every 
morning  shall  be  given  to  devotional  services,  and  the  daily  ses- 
sions shall  be  opened  with  prayer  and  closed  with  prayer  or  sing- 
ing. The  evening  sessions  shall  ordinarily  be  given  to  meetings  of 
a  specially  religious  rather  than  of  a  business  character. 

2.  The  Council  will  seek  to  promote  in  its  sessions  a  distinctly 
spiritual  uplift,  and  to  this  end  will  arrange  programs  for  the  pres- 
entation of  messages  for  the  general  public  attending  such  gather- 
ings. But  the  first  concern  of  the  Council  shall  be  the  transaction 
of  the  business  of  the  denomination  so  far  as  that  shall  be  intrusted 
to  it  by  the  churches;  and  the  Council  will  meet  in  separate  or 
executive  session  during  the  delivery  of  addresses  whenever  the 
necessity  of  the  business  of  the  Council  may  appear  to  require  it. 


THE  NATIONAL  COUNCIL 433 

XIV.— TIME  LIMITATION 

No  person  shall  occupy  more  than  half  an  hour  in  reading  any 
paper  or  report,  and  no  speaker  upon  any  motion  or  resolution,  or 
upon  any  paper  read,  shall  occupy  more  than  ten  minutes,  without 
the  unanimous  consent  of  the  Council. 

In  case  of  discussion  approaching  the  time  limit  set  for  it,  the 
Moderator  may  announce  the  limitation  of  speeches  to  less  than 
ten  minutes,  subject  to  the  approval  of  the  Council. 

XV.— THE  PRINTING  OF  REPORTS 
Such  reports  from  commissions  and  statements  from  societies 
or  theological  seminaries  as  may  be  furnished  to  the  Secretary 
seasonably  in  advance  of  the  meeting  may  be  printed  at  the  dis- 
cretion of  the  Executive  Committee,  and  sent  to  the  members 
elect,  together  with  the  program  prepared.  Not  more  than  ten 
minutes  shall  be  given  to  the  presentation  of  any  such  report. 

XVI.— THE  PUBLICATION  OF  STATISTICS 
The  Council  will  continue  to  make  an  annual  compilation  of 
statistics  of  the  churches,  and  a  list  of  such  ministers  as  are  re- 
ported by  the  several  state  organizations.  The  Secretary  is  directed 
to  present  at  each  stated  meeting  comprehensive  and  comparative 
summaries  for  the  two  years  preceding. 

XVII.— FELLOWSHIP  WITH  OTHER  BODIES 
The  Council,  as  occasion  may  arise,  will  hold  communication 
with  the  general  Congregational  bodies  of  other  lands,  and  with 
the  general  ecclesiastical  organizations  of  other  churches  of  evan- 
gelical faith  in  our  own  land,  by  delegates  appointed  by  the  Council 
or  by  the  Executive  Committee. 

XVIII.— TEMPORARY    SUBSTITUTION 

A  duly  enrolled  delegate  may  deputize  any  alternate  duly  ap- 
pointed by  the  body  appointing  the  delegate  to  act  for  him  at  any 
session  of  the  Council  by  special  designation  applicable  to  the  ses- 
sion in  question. 


XXV.     THE  BENEVOLENT  SOCIETIES 

Through  What  Agencies  Do  the  Congregational 
Churches  Conduct  Their  Benevolent  and  Missionary  Work? 

The  Congregational  churches  conduct  their  benevolent  and 
missionary  work  through  missionary  societies  variously 
organized.  Some  of  these  are  entirely  undenominational  or 
interdenominational,  such  as  the  American  Bible  Society 
and  the  American  Tract  Society;  others,  which  by  their 
constitutions  are  undenominational,  have  become  virtually 
denominational.  This  is  true  of  the  American  Board  of 
Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  and  the  American 
Missionary  Association.  Others,  once  undenominational, 
have  now  become  denominational  by  change  in  their  name 
and  constitutions.  Of  these  are  the  Congregational  Home 
Missionary  Society,  formerly  the  American  Home  Mission- 
ary Society,  and  the  Congregational  Education  Society, 
formerly  the  American  College  and  Education  Society. 
Still  others  grew  out  of  the  life  of  the  denomination  and, 
though  in  some  cases  there  were  changes  in  name,  remain 
avowedly  denominational  agencies.  Of  these  are  the  Con- 
gregational Church  Building  Society,  formerly  the  Amer- 
ican Congregational  Union ;  the  Congregational  Sunday 
School  and  Publishing  Society;  and  the  Congregational 
Board  of  Ministerial  Relief,  formerly  the  Trustees  of  the 
National  Council. 

Hov^r  Did  the  Interdenominational  Societies  Become 
Congregational?  The  interdenominational  societies,  such 
as  the  American  Board,  the  American  College  and  Educa- 
tion Society,  American  Home  Missionary  Society,  and 
American  Missionary  Association,  became  virtually  Con- 
gregational by  the  withdrawal  of  the  Presbyterian,  Dutch 
Reformed,  and  other  denominations  from  their  support,  and 
the  organization  by  these  bodies  of  denominational  societies 
for  the  doing  of  similar  work. 

Did  These  Societies  Occupy  Distinct  Fields  of  Activity? 


THE   BENEVOLENT    SOCIETIES  435 

The  several  societies  have  come  through  mutual  agreement 
and  denominational  control  to  something  approaching  dis- 
tinct fields  of  activity.  As  originally  constituted,  however, 
there  was  intentional  overlapping.  The  American  Mission- 
ary Association,  for  instance,  was  both  a  home  and  foreign 
missionary  society,  and  grew  out  of  a  protest  against  certain 
policies  of  the  American  Board  and  American  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society.  The  experience  of  the  years  has  resulted 
in  a  reduction  of  harmful  competition  and  a  thoroughly 
helpful  understanding  between  the  societies,  but  something 
still  is  left  to  be  desired  in  the  way  of  complete  adjustment. 

When  Was  Consolidation  of  the  Benevolent  Societies 
First  Considered?  At  the  first  meeting  of  the  National 
Council,  in  Oberlin,  in  1871,  it  was  voted, 

In  view  of  the  number  of  existing  organizations  that  collect 
contributions  from  our  churches,  some  of  which  organizations  are 
so  closely  affiliated  in  purpose  and  method  that  they  contemplate 
essentially  the  same  work;  therefore,  Resolved,  that  a  committee 
of  seven  be  appointed  to  consider  and  report  at  the  next  session 
of  this  Council  whether  any  consolidation  of  said  organizations 
is  practicable,  with  a  view  to  the  promotion  of  greater  unity  and 
efficiency  of  operation,  and  the  reduction  of  expenses  that  are  felt 
to  be  needless  and  therefore  burdensome. 

This  resolution  sounds  very  modern  and  might  have 
been  repeated  verbatim  by  every  Council  since.  Its  key- 
notes of  "economy"  and  "efficiency"  were  those  to  which  the 
Boston  Council  thirty-nine  years  later  attuned  the  resolu- 
tion that  resulted  in  the  appointment  of  the  Commission 
of  Nineteen  on  Polity.  It  is  interesting  to  read  the  report 
of  the  committee  adopted  in  1874. 

Our  present  benevolent  organizations  were  normal  growths 
out  of  pressing  necessities.  .  .  .  The  wisdom  of  those  who  had 
the  shaping  of  these  organizations  has  been  vindicated  by  the  suc- 
cessful work  accomplished.  .  .  .  Men  have  their  favorite  char- 
ities and  ,  .  .  deprecate  any  change  which  is  likely  to  touch 
the  integrity  of  the  organization  in  which  their  special  interest  is 
centered.  .  .  .  Other  difficulties  present  themselves  in  the 
terms  of  incorporation  of  these  societies,  conditions  on  which  trust 
funds  are  held,  legacies  in  abeyance  which  may  be  forfeited,  and 
various  minor  obstacles  which  need  not  be  detailed  at  length. 
At  the  same  time  it  is  undeniable  that  there  is  a  growing  feeling 
in  the  churches  that  there  might  be  an  improvement  in  the  charities 
of  the  denomination. 


436         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

This  also  sounds  very  modern.  The  objections  then 
urged  against  change,  that  the  societies  as  they  now  exist 
have  an  honorable  history,  and  each  its  own  constituency, 
and  that  vested  interests  might  conceivably  be  imperiled 
by  change,  are  those  still  urged  when  change  or  combina- 
tion is  suggested.  The  undeniable  fact  remains,  however, 
that  after  something  more  than  forty  years  of  appointment 
of  committees  and  commissions,  the  churches  believe  that 
a  simpler,  more  efficient,  and  more  economical  method 
ought  to  be  devised. 

Is  the  National  Council  Competent  to  Create  a  Benevo- 
lent Society?  The  National  Council  is  competent  to  create 
as  many  benevolent  societies  as  the  Congregational  churches 
desire  to  create  and  maintain  through  its  agency.  The 
organization  incorporated  March  24,  1885,  as  "The  Trustees 
of  the  National  Council  of  the  Congregational  Churches  of 
the  United  States"  is  the  creation  of  the  National  Council. 
It  now  is  known  as  "The  Congregational  Board  of  Minis- 
terial Relief"  and  that  name  is  confirmed  by  its  new  charter 
granted  by  the  Legislature  of  Connecticut  in  January,  1907. 
The  National  Council  is  as  competent  to  create  a  home  or 
foreign  missionary  society  as  a  society  for  ministerial  relief. 
Indeed,  the  Council  could  with  entire  legality  have  carried 
on  all  these  functions  without  any  change  whatever  in  the 
original  charter  of  "The  Trustees  of  the  National  Council." 
That  charter  as  originally  granted  contained  no  intimation 
whatever  that  the  work  of  the  society  thus  organized  was 
to  be  rectricted  to  ministerial  relief.  The  terms  of  the 
original  charter  are  as  follows : 

Section  2.  The  object  of  the  corporation  is  to  do  and  promote 
charitable  and  Christian  work  for  the  advancement  of  the  general 
interests  of  the  Congregational  churches  of  this  country  in  accord- 
ance with  resolutions  and  declarations  made  from  time  to  time  by 
the  National  Council  of  the  Congregational  Churches  of  the  United 
States;  and  said  corporation  may  co-operate  with  any  other  soci- 
eties under  the  charge  and  control  of  churches  of  the  Congrega- 
tional order  in  the  United  States. 

Section  3.  Said  corporation  may  acquire,  by  purchase,  gift, 
devise,  or  otherwise,  and  hold  and  dispose  of  real  and  personal 
property  for  the  purpose  of  its  creation,  not  exceeding  sixty  thou- 


THE   BENEVOLENT    SOCIETIES  437 

sand  dollars  in  value,  and  may  make  any  contracts  for  promoting 
its  objects  and  purposes,  not  inconsistent  with  law. 

Section  4.  The  said  National  Council  may  make  rules,  orders 
and  regulations  for  the  government  of  said  Board  of  Trustees,  and 
said  Board  shall,  at  all  times,  be  subject  to  the  direction  and 
control  of  said  Council. 

The  National  Council,  accepting  the  charter,  voted  as 
follows : 

Resolved,  That  the  same  be,  and  it  is  hereby,  accepted  by  this 
Council. 

Resolved,  That  this  National  Council,  by  this  act,  constitutes 
and  empowers  its  provisional  committee  for  the  time  being  as  the 
Trustees  incorporated  by  the  foregoing  act,  who  shall  have  in 
charge  and  administer  all  moneys  and  other  values  belonging  to  it, 
or  which  may  be  contributed,  bequeathed,  or  intrusted  to  it,  lim- 
ited only  by  their  charter,  the  acts  of  this  Council,  or  the  expressed 
will  of  the  donors. 

In  1907  the  object  and  powers  of  the  organization  were 
modified  and  limited  as  follows: 

Section  4.  The  object  of  said  corporation  shall  be  to  secure, 
hold,  manage,  and  distribute  funds  for  the  relief  of  needy  Congre- 
gational ministers  and  the  needy  families  of  deceased  Congrega- 
tional ministers,  in  accordance  with  resolutions  and  declarations 
adopted  or  made,  from  time  to  time,  by  the  National  Council  of 
the  Congregational  Churches  of  the  United  States,  or  by  any  body 
which  may  succeed  to  the  present  functions  of  that  council;  and 
said  corporation  may  co-operate  with  any  other  corporation  or 
body  which  is  under  the  charge  and  control  of  churches  of  the 
Congregational  order  in  the  United  States,  or  of  churches  at  the 
time  affiliated  with  said  order. 

Section  5.  The  said  National  Council,  or  its  successor  as  afore- 
said, may,  from  time  to  time,  make  and  alter  rules,  orders,  and 
regulations  for  the  government  of  said  corporation,  and  said  cor- 
poration shall  at  all  times  be  subject  to  its  direction  and  control; 
and  the  said  National  Council  or  such  successor  thereof  may,  from 
time  to  time,  determine  who  shall  be  members  of  said  corporation, 
may  provide  for  filling  vacancies  in  their  number,  and  may  appoint 
and  remove  members  thereof. 

There  is  nothing  either  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
National  Council,  or  in  the  conditions  governing  the  work 
of  the  denomination,  to  prevent  the  Council  from  creating 
a  single  new  organization  with  powers  as  broad  as  those 
originally  belonging  to  the  Trustees  of  the  National  Council, 
or  of  incorporating  one  or  more  societies  in  any  state  or 
states  of  the  Union   for  the   doing  of  such   work  as  the 


438        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

churches  desire  unitedly  to  accomplish  through  such  organi- 
zations. 

What  Is  the  American  Board?  The  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Missions  is  a  corporation 
created  by  the  Massachusetts  legislature  in  1812.  It  was 
organized  by  the  Massachusetts  Association  at  Bradford, 
Mass.,  on  June  29,  1810,  in  response  to  a  request  from  a 
group  of  students  of  Andover  Theological  Seminary  who 
had  pledged  themselves  for  foreign  missionary  work.  The 
inception  of  this  movement  may  be  attributed  to  Samuel 
John  Mills,  born  in  1783,  in  Torringford,  Conn.,  who  entered 
Williams  College  in  1806  and  graduated  in  1809.  In  that 
institution  he  organized  in  1808  a  little  association  called 
The  Brethren,  "to  effect  in  the  person  of  its  members  a 
mission  or  missions  to  the  heathen." 

The  American  Board  has  now  been  operated  for  more 
than  one  hundred  years.  Its  drafts  are  honored  by  the 
banks  of  the  remote  nations  of  the  Orient,  and  it  has  a 
record  for  fidelity  and  efficiency  which  make  it  easily  the 
foremost  of  our  denominational  societies  and  keep  it  in  the 
front  rank  of  missionary  organizations  of  the  world.  As 
originally  constituted,  the  American  Board  was  a  close 
corporation,  and  still  is  technically  a  self-perpetuating  body, 
but  by  its  charter  has  been  so  modified  that  the  National 
Council  constitutes  a  large  majority  of  its  voting  member- 
ship. 

What  Is  the  Congregational  Education  Society?  The 
Congregational  Education  Society  originated  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  American  Society  for  Educating  Pious  Youth 
for  the  Gospel  Ministry,  which  was  organized  in  Boston, 
December  7,  1815,  and  which  soon  became  the  "American 
Education  Society."  For  four  years  Congregationalists  and 
Presbyterians  co-operated  in  the  work,  but  in  1819  the 
Presbyterian  General  Assembly  organized  a  Board  of  Edu- 
cation, since  which  time  the  Educational  Society  has  been 
distinctly  Congregational. 

In  1843  there  was  organized  in  New  York  "the  Society 


THE   BENEVOLENT    SOCIETIES  439 

for  the  Promotion  of  Collegiate  and  Theological  Education 
at  the  West."  The  two  were  united  in  1874  under  the  style 
of  "American  College  and  Education  Society."  In  1879 
there  was  organized  in  Chicago  "The  New  West  Education 
Commission,"  which  in  1893  united  with  the  Education 
Society,  and  the  name  became  the  Congregational  Educa- 
tion Society.  In  its  organization  it  was  a  self-perpetuating 
body,  but  like  the  other  societies  it  is  now  controlled  by 
the  National  Council. 

What  Is  the  Home  Missionary  Society?  The  Congre- 
gational Home  Missionary  Society  had  its  origin  in  New 
York  on  May  10,  1826,  "in  the  American  Home  Missionary 
Society."  This  body  succeeded  the  United  Domestic  Mis- 
sionary Society,  organized  in  1822.  As  thus  constituted,  it 
represented  a  union  of  effort  of  Presbyterians,  Dutch 
Reformed  and  Congregationalists.  The  Congregational 
churches  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut  had  organized 
Home  Missionary  Societies  which,  at  first  working  inde- 
pendently, came  gradually  into  closer  fellowship  with  the 
New  York  society.  The  division  of  the  Presbyterian  body 
in  1837  into  the  Old  School  and  the  New  School  parties 
left  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  less  Presby- 
terian and  more  Congregational  than  it  previously  had  been. 
On  May  27,  1861,  the  New  School  Presbyterians  withdrew 
in  favor  of  some  distinctly  denominational  agency  of  their 
own,  leaving  the  society  wholly  Congregational.  In  1893 
its  name  was  changed  to  the  Congregational  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society. 

A  Brief  Outline  of  the  History  of  Home  Missions.  Organized 
Home  Missions  in  the  United  States  began  with  the  formation  of 
the  Connecticut  Home  Missionary  Society,  in  1798,  followed  by 
that  of  Massachusetts  in  1799,  after  which  the  other  New  England 
States  interested  themselves  in  the  sending  of  the  Gospel  to  the 
new  communities  to  the  westward  and  formed  similar  organiza- 
tions. In  1826  the  American  Home  Missionary  Society  was  organ- 
ized in  New  York,  originating  in  the  contemporaneous  initiative 
of  the  Massachusetts  Society  and  an  interdenominational  organiza- 
tion in  New  York  State  and  associating  with  it  in  affiliated  rela- 
tionship the  other  state  bodies.  This  corporation  is  now  the  Con- 
gregational Home  Missionary  Society.     At  the  first  Congregation- 


440        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

alists  were  associated  in  it  with  the  Presbyterian,  the  Reformed 
and  the  Associate  Reformed  churches.  The  latter  two  soon  with- 
drew and  at  the  dissolution  of  the  Plan  of  Union  such  participa- 
tion of  the  Presbyterians  as  had  not  already  been  diverted  was 
withdrawn  and  since  that  time  this  organization  has  been  the 
agency  of  the  Congregationalists,  although  independent  of  national 
organic  relationship  until  the  Kansas  City  meeting  of  the  National 
Council. 

Beginning  in  New  York  and  Vermont,  the  missionaries  of  this 
society  have  gone  with  the  advancing  front  of  settlement  to  every 
part  of  this  nation.  It  has  been  the  agency  through  which  the 
Congregational  church  was  saved  from  being  a  sectional  com- 
munion or  from  being  obliterated  entirely. 

For  a  time  all  the  work  of  promoting  religion  and  Christian 
education  fell  to  the  Home  Missionary  Societies.  Churches  and 
Sunday  Schools  were  planted,  sanctuaries  were  provided,  literature 
was  supplied,  schools  and  colleges  were  started,  young  men  were 
prepared  for  the  ministry.  But  in  1816  the  need  for  ministers  both 
in  self-supporting  churches  and  missionary  fields  occasioned  the 
organization  of  the  American  Society  for  the  Education  of  Pious 
Youth  for  the  Gospel  Ministry.  This  organization  has  absorbed 
two  other  societies  whose  work  was  to  promote  education,  and  is 
now  the  Congregational  Education  Society.  In  1829  the  Doctrinal 
Tract  and  Book  Society,  later  called  the  Congregational  Board  of 
Publication,  and  in  1832  the  Massachusetts  Sabbath  School  Society 
were  organized.  Later  these  two  merged  to  form  the  Congrega- 
tional Publishing  Society  which  became  the  Congregational  Sun- 
day School  and  Publishing  Society  in  1882.  In  1852  the  Albany 
Convention  was  impressed  with  the  need  of  aggressive  work  in 
building  churches  and  its  committee,  which  at  first  worked  largely 
through  Home  Missions,  grew  through  the  Congregational  Union 
to  the  Church  Building  Society.  In  1882  the  Publishing  Society 
began  to  function  in  planting  Sunday  Schools,  and,  finally  in  1892 
the  National  Council  appointed  a  Committee  on  Ministerial  Relief 
for  aiding  needy  ministers  and  their  families.  This  has  developed 
into  the  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief.  Thus  the  forces  which  went 
single  handed  to  the  task  of  Christianizing  America  in  1798,  have 
gradually  shared  functions  with  associates  until  the  call  has  arisen 
for  co-ordination. 

Since  the  organization  of  the  National  Society  in  1826  the 
receipts  of  the  Society  have  amounted  to  $27,970,123.52  and  76,374 
years  of  labor  have  been  performed  by  its  missionaries.  No  man 
can  measure  the  spiritual  forces  which  have  issued  from  these 
years  of  devotion.— Secy.  Chas.  E.  Burton,  in  Report  at  National 
Council,  1915. 

What  Is  the  American  Missionary  Association?     The 

American  Missionary  Association  was  organized  in  1846 
and  was  intended  to  be  both  a  home  and  foreign  missionary 
society.  In  1854  It  had  79  missionaries  in  foreign  lands, 
including  Africa,  Jamaica,  Sandwich  Islands,  Siam,  Egypt 
and  Canada.     In  so  far  as  its  work  duplicated  that  of  the 


THE    BENEVOLENT    SOCIETIES  441 

American  Board,  it  was  intended  to  give  expression  to  the 
anti-slavery  sentiment  strongly  dominant  in  the  churches 
that  supported  it.  Subsequently  it  transferred  its  foreign 
missionary  work  to  the  American  Board  and  took  over  the 
Board's  work  for  the  American  Indians.  It  has  borne  a 
noble  testimony  against  caste  and  race  prejudice,  and  has 
done  a  notable  work  in  education  and  church  extension 
among  Negroes,  Indians,  Chinese,  the  Highlanders  of  the 
Southern  mountains,  and  also  in  Alaska,  Porto  Rico  and 
Hawaii.  In  its  organization  it  is  broadly  democratic,  every 
contributing  church  being  entitled  to  elect  a  voting  delegate 
to  the  annual  meeting. 

What  Is  the  Congregational  Sunday  School  and  Pub- 
lishing Society?  The  Congregational  Sunday  School  and 
Publishing  Society  springs  from  the  union  of  several  organ- 
izations, the  oldest  of  which  was  the  Massachusetts  Sab- 
bath School  Union,  organized  in  May,  1825.  This  was  in 
the  beginning  an  interdenominational  organization,  but  in 
1832  became  distinctively  Congregational.  It  was  incor- 
porated in  1840  as  the  Massachusetts  Sabbath  School  So- 
ciety. The  American  Doctrinal  Tract  Society  was  organ- 
ized in  Taunton,  Mass.,  June  24,  1829,  and  incorporated 
March  16,  1850.  This  became  in  1854  the  Congregational 
Board  of  Publication.  On  March  9,  1868,  these  two  organi- 
zations were  consolidated  by  the  act  of  the  Massachusetts 
legislature  into  the  Congregational  Sabbath  School  and 
Publishing  Society.  In  1870  the  name  was  changed  to  the 
Congregational  Publishing  Society.  In  that  year  the  Soci- 
ety for  the  Promotion  of  Christian  Knowledge  disbanded 
and  transferred  its  assets  to  the  Congregational  Publishing 
Society.  On  February  21,  1883,  the  name  was  changed  to 
the  Congregational  Sunday  School  and  Publishing  Society. 
Its  voting  membership,  which  has  been  confined  to  those 
constituted  life  members  by  payment  of  $20,  in  1892  added 
a  delegate  membership  representing  state  bodies  and  Con- 
gregational churches.  The  society  conducts  two  distinct 
departments,  one  for  publication  and  the   other  for  mi?- 


442        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

sionary  work,  the  funds  of  the  two  being  deposited  in  sep- 
arate banks.  It  establishes  Sunday  schools  and  encourages 
their  growth  into  churches ;  it  publishes  Sunday  school  and 
other  religious  literature  and  owns  and  publishes  "The 
Congregationalist,"  "The  Pilgrim  Teacher,"  "The  Well 
Spring,"  and  other  periodicals. 

What  Is  the  Congregational  Church  Building  Society? 
The  Congregational  Church  Building  Society  was  founded 
in  1853.  It  is  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  State  of 
New  York  and  is  a  self-perpetuating  body.  It  has  assisted 
in  the  erection  of  more  than  4,000  church  buildings  and 
1,200  parsonages.  It  gives  financial  aid  in  two  forms,  both 
loan  and  grant,  securing  the  same  by  trust  mortgages  on 
the  property,  with  the  provision  that  should  the  same  cease 
to  be  used  for  Congregational  church  purposes,  the  churches 
shall  be  reimbursed  for  the  money  which  they  have  con- 
tributed through  this  society. 

What  Is  the  Congregational  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief? 
The  Congregational  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief  is  the  one 
missionary  organization  created  by  the  National  Council. 
This  corporation  was  chartered  by  the  legislature  of  Con- 
necticut, March  24,  1885,  as  "The  Trustees  of  the  National 
Council  of  the  Congregational  Churches  of  the  United 
States."  Its  charter  was  sufficiently  broad  so  that  it  could 
have  conducted  under  that  form  of  organization  any  kind 
of  missionary  work  which  the  National  Council  might  have 
chosen  to  perform  for  the  Congregational  churches.  The 
title  was  confusing  since  the  society  undertook  to  do  only 
one  form  of  missionary  work,  and  there  was  some  prospect 
that  the  Council  itself  might  desire  incorporation  on  its 
own  account,  or  at  least  to  create  a  corporation  acting  for 
it  in  other  relations  than  that  for  which  this  body  existed. 
On  March  27,  1907,  the  name  was  changed  by  action  of  the 
Connecticut  legislature  to  the  Congregational  Board  of  Min- 
isterial Relief.  It  is  an  organization  which  exists  for  the 
aid  of  aged  and  needy  ministers  and  their  dependent  fam- 
ilies. 


THE    BENEVOLENT    SOCIETIES  443 

What  Are  the  Women's  Societies?  There  are  three 
Women's  Boards  for  foreign  missionary  work:  The 
Woman's  Board  of  Missions,  incorporated  in  Massachu- 
setts; the  Woman's  Board  of  Missions  of  the  Interior,  in- 
corporated in  Illinois;  the  Woman's  Board  of  Missions  of 
the  Pacific,  incorporated  in  California.  Each  co-operates 
with  the  American  Board  and  collects  money  through 
branches  and  auxiliaries  and  supports  missionaries  as  teach- 
ers, evangelists,  physicians  and  nurses.  These  missionaries 
are  commissioned  as  missionaries  of  the  American  Board. 
The  receipts  of  these  three  organizations  have  amounted  in 
some  years  to  more  than  a  third  of  a  million. 

The  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Federation  was  organ- 
ized in  May,  1905,  and  is  the  only  strictly  national  organi- 
zation of  Congregational  women.  There  are  thirty-three 
State  Unions  federated  in  this  body,  each  of  them  being 
autonomous  in  its  own  territory,  and  each  raising  funds  for 
the  support  of  the  Home  Missionary  societies,  both  state 
and  national.  The  Federation  represents  the  women  of  our 
Congregational  churches  on  the  Executive  Committees  of 
those  of  the  national  missionary  bodies  that  admit  women. 

What  Is  the  American  Congregational  Association? 
The  American  Congregational  Association  is  an  organiza- 
tion created  in  1853,  and  chartered  by  the  legislature  of 
Massachusetts  in  1854,  which  owns  the  Congregational 
House  in  Boston  and  maintains  the  Congregational  Library. 

What  Was  the  Commission  of  Nineteen?  The  Com- 
mission of  Nineteen  on  Polity  was  appointed  by  the  Na- 
tional Council  at  Boston  in  1910  "to  formulate  a  consistent 
and  practical  scheme  of  administration,  and  to  submit  to 
the  next  Council  a  constitution  and  by-laws  which  embody 
their  judgment."  The  Commission  held  a  number  of  meet- 
ings, and  at  Kansas  City  in  1913  submitted  a  new  constitu- 
tion for  the  National  Council,  which  was  adopted  with  great 
heartiness. 

What  Is  the  Commission  on  Missions?  The  Commis- 
sion on  Missions  is  a  body  created  by  the  National  Council, 


444         THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

consisting  of  fourteen  members  and  one  additional  member 
from  each  of  the  Societies,  with  one  from  the  Woman's 
Boards  and  one  from  the  Women's  Home  Missionary  Fed- 
eration, with  the  Secretary  of  the  National  Council.  Their 
powers  are  described  in  By-Law  XI  of  the  National  Council. 
What  Changes  in  the  Missionary  Societies  Were 
Wrought  at  Kansas  City?  The  National  Council  at  Kansas 
City  in  191 3  changed  its  constitution  so  that  with  corre- 
sponding changes  in  the  constitutions  of  the  several  mis- 
sionary societies  the  voting  members  of  the  National 
Council  now  constitute  a  majority  of  the  voting  members 
of  the  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions, the  Congregational  Home  Missionary  Society,  the 
American  Missionary  Association,  the  Congregational  Sun- 
day School  and  Publishing  Society,  the  Congregational 
Church  Building  Society,  the  Congregational  Education 
Society,  and  the  Congregational  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief. 

The  voting  membership  of  the  American  Board  shall  consist,  in 
addition  to  the  present  life  members,  of  two  classes  of  persons. 

(a)  One  class  shall  be  composed  of  the  members  of  the  National 
Council,  who  shall  be  deemed  nominated  as  corporate  members  of 
the  American  Board  by  their  election  and  certification  as  members 
of  the  said  National  Council,  said  nominations  to  be  ratified  and 
the  persons  so  named  elected  by  the  American  Board.  Their  terms 
as  corporate  members  of  the  American  Board  shall  end,  in  each 
case,  when   they  cease    to  be   members   of   the   National   Council. 

(b)  There  may  also  be  chosen  by  the  American  Board  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  corporate  members-at-large.  The  said  one  hundred 
and  fifty  corporate  members-at-large  shall  be  chosen  in  three  equal 
sections,  and  so  chosen  that  the  term  of  each  section  shall  be  ulti- 
mately six  years,  one  section  being  chosen  every  second  year  at 
the  meeting  in  connection  with  the  meeting  of  the  National  Coun- 
cil. No  new  voting  members,  other  than  herein  provided,  shall  be 
created. 

There  may  also  be  chosen  corporate  members-at-large  by  the 
said  societies,  in  the  following  numbers,  viz.:  by  the  Congregational 
Home  Missionary  Society,  ninety;  by  the  American  Missionary 
Association,  sixty;  by  the  Congregational  Church  Building  Society, 
thirty;  by  the  Congregational  Education  Society,  eighteen;  and  by 
the  Congregational  Sunday-School  and  Publishing  Society,  eighteen. 
The  said  corporate  members-at-large  shall  be  chosen  by  each  of  the 
said  societies  in  three  equal  sections  and  so  chosen  that  the  term 
of  each  section  shall  be  ultimately  six  years,  one  section  being 
chosen  every  second  year  at  the  meeting  held  in  connection  with 
the  meeting  of  the  National  Council.     In  this  selection  one-fifth  of 


THE   BENEVOLENT   SOCIETIES 445 


the  said  corporate  members-at-large  may  be  chosen  fronj  the 
organizations  for  the  support  of  Congregational  activities  affiha  ed 
in  the  Woman's  Home  Missionary  Federation.  No  new  votmg 
members,  other  than  herein  provided,  shall  be  created  by  any 
society.— By-Laws  of  the  National  Council,  art.  x. 

What  Changes  in  the  Societies  Were  Accomplished  in 
1915?  The  National  Council  in  session  in  New  Haven  in 
191 5  adopted  a  report  submitted  by  the  Commission  on 
Missions,  whose  essential  parts  are  given  below.  The  prac- 
tical results  of  this  plan  are  as  follows : 

(i)  The  American  Board  of  Commissioners  for  Foreign 
Missions  is  not  affected  by  this  plan. 

(2)  The  Congregational  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief 
and  its  Corporation  for  the  Annuity  Fund  are  not  affected 

by  this  plan.  .  rr    ^  a 

(3)  The  American  Missionary  Association  is  not  affected 
excepting  that  the  work  of  its  white  churches  is  transferred 
to  the  Congregational  Home  Missionary  Society. 

(4)  For  practical  operation  the  work  of  establishing 
and  maintaining  Sunday  Schools,  of  planting  and  assistmg 
missionary  churches,  and  of  aiding  in  the  erecting  of  church 
buildings  and  parsonages,  is  to  be  unified  and  regarded  as 
a  continuous  process  under  the  direction  of  what  now  are 
to  be  known  as  the  Church  Extension  Boards. 

(5)  The  educational  work  of  the  Sunday  Schools  and 
Publishing  Society,  including  education  through  the  printed 
page  is  to  be  merged  with  that  of  the  Congregational  Edu- 
cation Society,  in  what  are  to  be  known  as  Religious  Educa- 
tion Boards.  . 

(6)  All  the  societies  affected  by  this  merger  are  to  retain 
their  corporate  existence,  with  their  charters  as  heretofore, 
but  are  to  change  their  constitutions  or  by-laws  so  as  to 
carry  these  modifications  into  effect. 

(7)  The  Congregational  Sunday  School  and  Publishing 
Society  is  now  to  become  The  Congregational  Publishing 
Society,  the  business  and  missionary  interests  being  cared 
for  by  separate  societies. 

The  Plan  of  Readjustment.     The  essential  parts  of  the  report 


446        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 


of  the  Commission  on  Missions  relating  to  the  readjustment  of  our 
missionary  societies,  adopted  at  New  Haven  in  1915,  as  follow: 

Ministerial  Relief.  The  status  of  the  Congregational  Board  of 
Mmistenal  Rehef  remains  unchanged.  This  corporation  has  a 
Board  of  Directors  of  fifteen  members  elected  by  the  National 
Council.  The  Annuity  Fund  for  Congregational  Ministers  is  ad- 
mmistered  by  the  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief. 

American  Missionary  Association.  The  present  status  of  the 
American  Missionary  Association  remains  unchanged.  The  Asso- 
ciation is  administered  by  an  executive  committee  of  fifteen  mem- 
bers elected  in  five  classes  for  a  term  of  three  years.  Its  mission- 
ary church  work  among  white  people  is  transferred  to  the  Con- 
gregational Home  Missionary  Society. 

The  Church  Extension  Boards.  This  group  consists  of  the  Con- 
gregational Home  Missionary  Society,  the  Congregational  Church 
Building  Society,  and  the  work  of  establishing  and  maintaining 
mission  Sunday  schools  now  carried  on  by  the  Congregational  Sun- 
day School  and  Publishing  Society.  This  Sunday  School  Extension 
work  shall  be  conducted  under  the  name  Congregational  Sunday 
School  Society,  and,  if  deemed  expedient,  may  be  incorporated  for 
the  purpose  of  holding  property  and  receiving  legacies  and  other 
gifts.  The  income  of  funds  and  other  assets  of  the  Congregational 
Sunday  School  and  Publishing  Society  which  may  have  been  given 
for  the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  mission  Sunday  schools 
shall  be  made  available  for  the  work  as  carried  on  under  the  new 
administration. 

It  is  understood  that  the  question  of  the  transfer  of  the  Sunday 
School  Extension  work  of  the  S.  S.  &  P.  S.  from  that  society  to 
the  group  thus  constituted  is  to  be  referred  to  the  Directors  of  the 
Religious  Education  Boards  in  conference  with  the  Directors  of  the 
Church  Extension  Boards  and  the  Commission  on  Missions,  these 
Directors  being  under  instructions  to  arrange  the  transfer  if  the 
way  be  open.  In  any  case  the  Commission  is  instructed  to  make 
report  on  the  whole  matter  to  the  next  Council. 

(1)  These  three  Societies,  viz.:  The  Congregational  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society,  the  Congregational  Church  Building  Society  and 
the  Congregational  Sunday  School  Society,  shall  have  in  common 
the  following  officers:  President,  Vice-Presidents,  and  Treasurer. 
The  three  societies  shall  be  managed  by  a  common  Board  of  Direc- 
tors of  not  more  than  thirty-six  members.  The  Directors  elected 
to  serve  for  the  years  1915-17  shall  be  named  by  the  nominating 
committee  of  the  National  Council  and  elected  by  the  members  of 
the  respective  societies.  They  will  assume  responsibility  when  the 
resignations  of  their  predecessors  shall  have  been  received.  Prior 
to  the  next  biennial  meeting  of  the  Council,  each  state  Conference 
in  which  Congregational  work  is  sufficiently  advanced  to  justify  its 
recognition  by  the  National  Council  as  an  administrative  unit,  shall 
have  the  right  to  submit  to  the  nominating  committee  of  the  Na- 
tional Council,  which  shall  serve  as  the  nominating  committee  for 
each  of  the  societies  in  question,  the  names  of  two  candidates,  a 
minister  and  a  layman,  from  which  nomination  an  election  of  one 
director  shall  be  made.  At  the  expiration  of  the  term  a  successor 
shall  be  chosen  in  the  same  manner.    All  directors  shall  be  elected 


THE   BENEVOLENT    SOCIETIES  447 

by  the  societies  at  the  biennial  meetings  held  in  connection  with  the 
meetings  of  the  National  Council.  At  the  meeting  of  the  societies 
in  1917,  the  directors  shall  be  divided  as  nearly  as  possible  into 
three  equal  sections  in  such  manner  that  the  term  of  each  section 
shall  ultimately  be  six  years,  and  the  term  of  one  section  shall  ex- 
pire at  each  biennial  meeting  of  the  Council.  The  Board  of  Direc- 
tors shall  have  power  to  fill  vacancies  in  its  own  number  until  the 
next  regular  meeting  of  the  National  Council. 

(2)  Between  the  meetings  of  the  Board  of  Directors  the  work 
of  this  group  of  societies  shall  be  under  the  immediate  supervision 
of  an  executive  committee,  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Directors,  of 
not  more  than  fifteen  persons,  a  majority  of  whom  shall  be  mem- 
bers of  the  Board.  This  committee  shall  hold  regular  monthly 
meetings  and  as  many  special  meetings  as  may  be  deemed  neces- 
sary. The  actions  of  each  session  of  the  Executive  Committee  shall 
be  submitted  for  approval  to  the  Board  of  Directors. 

(3)  There  shall  be  a  common  general  secretary.  The  first  elec- 
tion shall  be  by  the  Board  of  Directors  on  nomination  by  the  Nom- 
inating Committee  of  the  National  Council.  In  1917  and  thereafter, 
the  general  secretary  shall  be  elected  at  the  biennial  meeting  on 
nomination  of  the  Board  of  Directors.  He  shall  have  resonsible 
executive  leadership  of  the  entire  work  of  the  societies  thus 
grouped.  There  shall  be  as  many  additional  secretaries  and  other 
officers  as  may  be  found  necessary. 

(4)  The  activities  of  the  societies  thus  grouped  shall  cover  the 
field  as  indicated  by  their  names,  of  church  planting  and  mainte- 
nance of  aiding  in  building  churches  and  parsonages  and  organizing 
and  fostering  mission  Sunday  schools.  The  Board  will  organize 
this  work  as  shall  be  found  expedient. 

(5)  The  main  offices  of  the  Church  Extension  Boards  shall  be 
in  New  York.  If  deemed  advisable,  there  may  also  be  offices  in 
Boston,  Chicago  and  San  Francisco. 

It  is  recommended  that  the  officers  associated  with  the  district 
offices  represent  the  total  work  of  this  group  of  societies,  and  that 
they  shall  present  to  their  respective  constituencies  a  unified  appeal 
on  behalf  of  the  three  great  interests  which  they  represent. 

(6)  All  three  societies  are  to  appear  in  the  denominational 
benevolence  calendar,  and  there  shall  continue  to  be  a  separate 
apportionment  for  each.  It  is  expected  that  this  arrangement  will 
be  modified  as  experience  may  suggest. 

The  Religious  Education  Boards.  (1)  Upon  the  transfer  of  the 
Sunday  school  work,  as  herein  provided,  the  name  of  the  Congrega- 
tional Sunday  School  and  Publishing  Society  is  to  be  changed  to 
the  Congregational  Publishing  Society,  and  that  the  features  of  its 
work  hitherto  known  as  educational  be  assigned  to  the  Congrega- 
tional Educational  Society.  The  functions  of  the  Congregational 
Publishing  Society  will  thus  be  exclusively  those  of  a  denomina- 
tional publishing  house,  viz.:  editing,  manufacturing,  and  marketing 
Sunday  school  helps,  books,  periodicals,  etc.,  of  such  nature  and 
variety  as  may  be  deemed  expedient. 

(2)  The  two  societies  just  named  are  to  be  placed  under  a  com- 
mon management  as  outlined  below,  the  activities  of  each  organ- 


448        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

ization  being  kept  distinct  but  so  co-ordinated  under  a  unified  pol- 
icy as  that  they  shall  move  together  to  the  attainment  of  the  com- 
mon ends  for  which  both  exist. 

(3)  The  total  field  of  religious  education  as  covered  by  these 
two  organizations  through  the  printed  page  and  otherwise  will  in- 
clude comprehensively  the  following  functions: 

(a)  Sunday  school  education  through  use  of  printed  helps 
and  field  specialists. 

(b)  General  religious  education  including  any  type  of  aid 
needed  by  pastors  and  churches  for  training  in  Christian  his- 
tory, doctrine,  worship,  denominational  polity,  plans,  etc. 

(c)  Social  Service.  It  is  contemplated  that  this  specialized 
feature  of  religious  education  shall  receive  due  emphasis. 

(d)  Education  in  Missions.  This  will  have  primary  reference 
to  the  training  of  the  young  in  knowledge  of  the  world  wide 
operations  of  the  Church. 

(e)  Editing,  manufacturing  and  marketing  such  printed  mat- 
ter as  will  be  required  under  above  heads,  together  with  such 
books  and  newspapers  as  the  denomination  desires  to  pro- 
duce. 

(f)  Student  Welfare.  This  will  be  a  continuation  of  work 
now  conducted  by  the  Education  Society  for  students  in  col- 
leges, seminaries  and  universities. 

(g)  College  Aid.  This  refers  to  the  leadership  and  emer- 
gency aid  given  by  the  Education  Society  to  colleges  in  the 
newer  part  of  the  country. 

(4)  This  group  of  societies  shall  have  in  common  the  following 
officers:  President,  Vice-Presidents,  and  Treasurer.  The  societies 
shall  be  managed  by  a  common  Board  of  Directors  of  not  to  exceed 
twenty-four  members.  These  directors  shall  be  nominated  by  the 
nominating  committee  of  the  National  Council,  acting  as  the  nomi- 
nating committee  of  each  of  the  societies  concerned,  except  that  at 
the  meeting  of  the  societies  in  1917  and  thereafter  the  American 
Board,  the  American  Missionary  Association  and  the  Church  Ex- 
tension Boards  respectively  shall  each  have  the  right  to  nominate 
one  director.  The  directors  shall  be  elected  by  the  societies  at  the 
biennial  meetings  held  in  connection  with  the  meetings  of  the  Na- 
tional Council.  The  directors  elected  to  serve  for  1915-17  shall  as- 
sume responsibility  when  the  resignations  of  their  predecessors 
shall  have  been  received.  At  the  meeting  of  the  societies  in  1917 
the  directors  shall  be  divided  as  nearly  as  possible  into  three  equal 
sections  in  such  manner  that  the  term  of  each  section  shall  ulti- 
mately be  six  years,  and  the  term  of  one  section  shall  expire  at 
each  biennial  meeting  of  the  Council.  In  the  selection  of  the  direc- 
tors due  regard  shall  be  had  for  geographical  distribution  as  well 
as  for  convenience  of  meetings.  The  Board  of  Directors  shall  have 
power  to  fill  vacancies  in  its  own  number  until  the  regular  meeting 
of  the  National  Council. 

(5)  There  shall  be  a  common  general  secretary.  The  first  elec- 
tion shall  be  by  the  Board  of  Directors  on  nomination  by  the  Nomi- 
nating Committee  of  the  National  Council.  In  1917  and  thereafter, 
the  general  secretary  shall  be  elected  at  the  biennial  meeting  on 
nomination  of  the  Board  of  Directors.     He  shall  have  responsible 


THE   BENEVOLENT   SOCIETIES 449 

executive  leadership  of  the  entire  work  of  the  societies  thus 
grouped.  There  shall  be  as  many  additional  secretaries  and  other 
officers  as  may  be  found  necessary. 

(6)  It  should  be  added  that  it  is  a  part  of  the  thought  of  the 
Commission  that  the  denominational  publishing  house  should  at- 
tract to  itself  the  bulk  of  the  printing  of  the  denominational 
agencies.  The  National  Council  will  recommend  what  disposition 
shall  be  made  of  profits  not  required  for  additions  to  capital  or  for 
equipment. 

(7)  The  Congregational  Education  Society  will  retain  its  pres- 
ent place  in  the  denominational  benevolence  calendar. 

(8)  The  main  offices  of  the  Religious  Educational  Boards  shall 
be  in  Boston.  If  deemed  expedient  there  may  also  be  offices  in 
New  York,  Chicago  and  San  Francisco. 

Relation  to  State  Conferences.  The  Commission  believes  that 
there  are  no  recommendations  contained  in  this  report  that  are  not 
capable  of  such  satisfactory  adjustment  to  state  interests  as  will 
insure  cordial  co-operation  between  the  State  Conferences  and  the 
National  Societies.  It  may  be  added  that  no  change  is  contem- 
plated in  the  arrangement  as  to  division  of  receipts  now  in  force 
between  the  national  and  state  home  mission  organizations. 

The  term  of  directorship  in  both  the  home  missions  and  educa- 
tion boards  is  six  years. 

The  Societies  Needed  to  Be  Under  Control  of  the  Denomina- 
tion. So  there  came  into  existence  one  after  another  the  mission- 
ary agencies  which  are  now  identified  with  Congregationalism. 
They  have  wrought  on  our  behalf  and  wrought  with  conspicuous 
success.  In  every  field  of  mission  effort  we  have  been  pioneers 
and  standard  bearers.  The  sum  of  their  achievements  constitutes 
a  noble  chapter  in  our  annals.  So  honorable  is  the  record  that  one 
has  no  difficulty  in  believing  that  the  fathers  did  the  wise  thing 
for  their  place  and  time. 

None  the  less  so  long  as  two  generations  ago  there  began  to 
be  dissatisfaction  with  the  plan.  The  Albany  Convention  of  1852 
was  in  the  nature  of  a  protest  against  the  home  mission  policies 
in  vogue.  The  first  triennial  Council  in  1871  pondered  long  on  the 
organization  of  its  missionary  agencies.  And  the  Council  which 
met  at  New  Haven  in  1874  had  before  it  a  report  on  missionary 
readjustment  only  less  bulky  than  the  one  which  is  laid  before 
you  at  this  session.  So  it  has  been  during  all  the  intervening 
years.  What  is  the  meaning  of  it?  Why  have  the  churches  not 
been  content  with  the  substantial  achievements  which  have  been 
described?  The  answer  may  be  phrased  in  various  ways.  But  the 
kernel  of  it  is  in  the  fact  that  like  all  things  human  these  admin- 
istrative undertakings  had  an  admixture  of  frailty  and  failure  for 
whose  prevention  or  cure  the  churches  were  helpless  save  by  the 
disastrous  method  of  withdrawing  support.  Moreover,  it  came  to 
be  felt  that  ours,  the  most  democratic  of  organizations,  was  main- 
taining the  most  autocratic  of  agencies — autocratic  not  because  of 
the  intention  or  desire  of  their  managers  but  because  of  the  neces- 
sities of  the  situation.  Naturally  the  question  arose  whether  there 
was  anything  in  the  nature  of  the  case  which  required  the  con- 
tinuance of  such  an  anomaly. — Herring:  Report  of  Secy,  of  Nat. 
Council,  New  Haven,  Oct.,  1915. 


XXVI.     REPRESENTATIVE  DEMOCRACY 

Can  Democracy  Be  Representative?  Democracy  can  be 
representative,  and  if  democracy  is  to  obtain  in  any  large 
way  it  must  be  representative.  In  a  local  town  meeting 
every  citizen  may  be  present  and  participate  actively  in  the 
proceedings.  Even  in  a  town  meeting,  however,  the  voter 
exercises  something  of  a  representative  function.  Usually 
the  entire  population  is  not  present,  but  only  the  adult  male 
population.  A  democracy  in  which  only  men  vote,  or  only 
adults  vote,  is  in  the  nature  of  the  case  representative.  But 
even  if  it  were  possible  or  wise  to  gather  all  the  inhabitants, 
men,  women  and  children,  into  a  meeting  for  the  deter- 
mination of  matters  of  common  concern,  it  is  manifest  that 
democracy  in  this  simplest  form  could  never  be  larger  than 
parochial.  Even  so  small  a  territory  as  a  county  must  have 
representative  government  if  it  is  to  be  governed  demo- 
cratically. The  entire  population  of  a  state  could  never  be 
assembled  in  one  spot  to  do  its  business  through  mass  meet- 
ing; and  if  that  could  be  done  no  hall  could  be  found  in 
which  they  could  be  seated  and  hear  each  other's  discussion. 

Representation,  therefore,  is  not  merely  consistent  with 
democracy,  but  essential  to  it.  The  term  "representative 
democracy"  is  comparatively  new  in  the  literature  of  Con- 
gregationalism, but  the  principle  is  not  new.  It  is  as  funda- 
mentally inherent  in  the  idea  of  a  council  called  for  the 
ordination  of  a  pastor  as  it  is  in  the  National  Council  itself. 
A  committee  of  three  appointed  to  buy  shingles  for  the 
meeting  house  and  authorized  to  purchase  spruce  or  cedar 
according  to  their  best  discretion  and  the  condition  of  the 
shingle  market,  is  as  thoroughly  illustrative  of  all  the  princi- 
ples involved  in  representative  government  as  the  District 
Association  or  the  State  Conference. 

Congregationalists  long  shirked  the  inevitable  logic  of 
their  own  plan  of  organization.     For  many  years  they  were 


REPRESENTATIVE   DEMOCRACY  451 

content  to  do  the  larger  work  of  the  denomination  through 
bodies  in  which  the  churches  were  not  directly  represented. 
The  new  order  of  things  is  not  less  democratic  than  the  old  ; 
it  is  more  so.  It  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than  fundamental 
democracy  applied  through  the  representative  system  to 
affairs  of  state  or  national  magnitude.  The  whole  trend  of 
Congregational  development  since  the  Albany  Convention 
in  1852,  to  go  no  farther  back,  has  been  in  the  direction  of 
the  frank  recognition  of  this  principle  in  our  denominational 
life.  To  that  principle  our  denomination  is  now  committed, 
not  only  by  the  Constitution  of  the  National  Council  but 
by  the  inexorable  logic  of  all  our  recent  history. 

The  World  Moves  Toward  Democracy.  The  drift  of  the  world 
is  irresistibly  toward  popular  rights  in  their  free  and  equal  exercise. 
Even  Romanism  silently  floats  that  way.  And  there  will  be  neither 
retrocession  nor  retrograde.  The  oak  never  can  go  back  into  its 
acorn.  A  thousand  years  hence  will  find  every  polity,  however 
named,  honeycombed  with  the  democratic  element.  All  the  other 
polities  will  "make  obeisance"  to  our  "sheaf."  If  there  be  a  Pope 
then,  he  will  be  so  only  in  name,  while  his  people  will  govern  them- 
selves and  him.  I  will  not  say  that  Congregationalism  will  have 
nothing  to  change  to  fit  itself  for  the  millennium,  but  I  may  say 
with  all  my  heart,  it  can  only  need  to  perfect  itself  in  the  line  of 
its  own  philosophy,  and  be  all  which  its  own  normal  possibilities 
suggest,  to  fit  it  for  the  fullness  of  that  brighter  day.  I  believe  it 
is  the  only  polity  of  which  as  much  can  be  truly  said. — Dexter: 
Handbook,  p.  135. 

Democratic  Liberty.  The  imperishable  contribution  of  Con- 
gregationalism to  American  life  has  been  its  liberation  of  the  same 
from  all  bondage  to  ecclesiasticism.  Liberty  in  America  has  been 
identified  from  the  beginning  with  liberty  of  worship,  liberty  of 
conscience,  liberty  of  soul.  That  this  is  the  case  is  due  to  the 
nature  of  its  first  immigrants.  The  most  subtle  bondage,  and  the 
most  inevitable  refuge  of  false  authority  in  the  State  is  bound  up 
with  religious  bondage.  When  that  was  shaken  ofif  by  the  high 
simplicity  of  the  Congregational  principle,  the  peculiar  quality  of 
American  democracy  was  rendered  possible. 

As  it  happens,  the  distinctive  message  of  Congregationalism 
today  is  one  concerning  intellectual  liberty.  It  is  less  sectarian 
than  the  sects  to  the  right  of  it  or  to  the  left  of  it.  It  insists  on 
equal  liberty  for  the  men  of  conservative  and  the  men  of  progres- 
sive temper.  Like  all  liberty  that  is  efficient,  it  recognizes  its 
limits.  Liberty  in  the  Congregational  fellowship  is  limited  by 
immeasurable  reverence  before  Jesus  Christ.  It  does  not  seek  to 
disguise  its  unqualified  Christian  faith  and  hope.  But  all  who  "say 
that  Jesus  is  Lord"  it  recognizes  with  Paul  as  being  under  the 
sway  of  the  Holy  Spirit.     It  insists  upon  nothing  which  is  indif- 


452        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

ferent  to  that  Spirit  and  includes  all  who  have  been  divinely  blessed 
with  this  supreme  insight.  Its  fellowship  is  the  richest  and  most 
varied  in  the  religious  world,  because  it  is  consciously  based  upon 
a  profound  distinction  between  the  one  thing  needful  and  the  many 
things  interesting,  important  and  serviceable. — Ambrose  IV.   Vernon. 

Democracy  and  Solidarity.  It  remains  for  Congregationalism 
to  show  that  the  freedom  of  the  State  is  not  inconsistent  with 
the  obligations  of  international  brotherhood;  that  a  free  education 
and  loyalty  to  the  truth  which  alone  can  make  men  free  can  go 
hand  in  hand;  that  a  free  church  can  co-exist  as  a  part  of  that  one 
Catholic  Church  which  has  one  spirit  but  inany  members;  and  that 
the  free  approach  of  the  soul  to  God  does  not  exclude  that  cor- 
porate fellowship  and  communion  which  binds  all  Christ's  people 
together  in  one  body. 

If  the  message  of  the  past  to  America  has  been  freedom,  the 
message  of  the  present  is  perfect  harmony  of  that  freedom  with 
the  higher  solidarity  toward  which  the  whole  creation  moves  and 
for  which  it  groans. — Raymond  Calkins. 

Representative  Democracy.  Representative  government  in 
counties  is  necessitated  by  the  extent  of  territory  covered;  in 
cities,  it  is  necessitated  by  the  multitude  of  people. — John  Fiske: 
Civil  Government  in  the  United  States,  p.  101. 

The  Congregational  churches,  having  their  county,  city,  national 
and  world-wide  life,  have  been  forced  to  develop  forms  of  repre- 
sentative or  indirect  deinocracy.  This  is  not  subversive  of  our 
original  character  or  destructive  of  Congregational  principles.  Our 
safety  lies  in  preserving  in  local  affairs  the  direct  action  of  the  pri- 
mary assembly.  We  do  not  substitute  representative  democracy; 
we  add  it  and  assign  it  its  own  secondary  realm.  We  constitute 
and  direct  it  from  below. — Nash:  Cong.  Administration,  pp.  19-20. 

Representative  Government  May  Be  Democratic.  Laws  they 
are  not  therefore  which  public  approbation  hath  not  made  so.  But 
approbation  not  only  they  give  who  personally  declare  their  assent 
by  voice,  sign  or  act,  but  also  when  others  do  it  in  their  names  by 
right  originally  at  least  derived  from  them.  As  in  parliaments, 
councils,  and  the  like  assemblies,  although  we  be  not  personally 
ourselves  present,  notwithstanding  our  assent  is  by  reason  of 
other  agents  there  in  our  behalf.  And  what  we  do  by  others,  no 
reason  but  that  it  should  stand  as  our  deed,  no  less  effectually  to 
bind  us  than  if  ourselves  had  done  it  in  person. — Hooker:  Ecclesias- 
tical Polity,  Bk.  I. 

What   Was   the   Tri-Church    Union    Discussion?     The 

National  Council  at  Des  Moines  in  1904  took  action  "favor- 
able to  closer  union  of  the  Methodist  Protestant,  United 
Brethren,  and  Congregational  denominations,"  and  gave  to 
its  Committee  on  Comity,  Federation  and  Unity,  of  w^hich 
Rev.  Dr.  William  Hayes  Ward  was  chairman,  authority 
to  negotiate  with  those  bodies,  looking  toward  such  closer 
union.     Other  actions  provided  for  the  election  of  delega- 


REPRESENTATIVE   DEMOCRACY  453 

tions  and  the  first  meeting  of  a  General  Council  of  the 
three  denominations.  Such  a  council,  in  which  the  Con- 
gregational churches  were  represented  by  no  delegates, 
including  many  of  the  prominent  leaders  of  the  denomina- 
tion, convened  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  February  7-9,  1906.  A 
second  General  Council  met  in  Chicago,  March  19-21,  to 
hear  the  reports  of  three  committees  of  twenty-one  each  on 
doctrine,  polity  and  vested  interests.  The  Chicago  meeting 
approved  a  "Plan  of  Union"  and  this  was  commended  to 
the  churches  by  a  committee  consisting  of  Rev.  Messrs. 
Washington  Gladden,  Wm.  Douglas  Mackenzie  and  Asher 
Anderson.  The  matter  came  up  for  extended  discussion  at 
Cleveland  in  1907  and  the  following  resolutions  reported  by 
z  Committee  of  Twenty-eight,  of  which  Rev.  Nehemiah 
Boynton  was  chairman,  and  Rev.  William  E.  Barton,  sec- 
retary, read  as  follows : 

We  recognize  in  the  Act  of  Union  adopted  by  the  General 
Council  of  the  United  Churches  at  Chicago  the  fundamental  prin- 
ciples by  which  such  union  must  be  accomplished.  The  aim  of  that 
act  is  the  desire  of  our  churches.  The  act  provides  for  a  repre- 
sentative council  of  the  united  churches,  combines  their  benevolent 
activities,  and  conserves  their  vested  interests.  It  makes  provision 
for  the  gradual  amalgamation  of  their  state  and  local  organizations, 
leaving  the  people  of  each  locality  free  to  choose  their  own  times 
and  methods  for  the  completion  of  such  unions.  It  contemplates, 
as  the  result  of  a  continued  fellowship  of  worship  and  work,  a 
blending  of  the  three  denominations  into  one.  This  is  the  end  to 
which  the  Act  of  Union  looks  forward,  and  these  are  essential 
means  of  its  accomplishment. 

We  recognize  that,  for  the  consummation  of  this  union,  each 
denomination  is  prepared  to  modify  its  administrative  forms. 
Among  our  ministers  and  churches  there  have  arisen  divergent 
opinions  both  as  to  the  interpretation  of  certain  clauses  and  as  to 
the  effect  of  certain  provisions  in  the  Act  of  Union;  while  of  some 
details  therein  proposed  important  criticisms  have  been  made. 

Wc  recognize,  further,  that  the  other  church  bodies,  when  they 
convene  for  consideration  of  the  Act  of  Union,  may  likewise  find 
that  certain  of  its  features  can  be  improved. 

We,  therefore,  invite  the  other  two  denominations  to  unite  with 
us  in  referring  the  Act  of  Union  to  the  General  Council  of  the 
United  Churches,  to  afford  opportunity  for  perfecting  the  plan  of 
union;  the  General  Council  to  report  its  results  to  the  national 
body  of  each  denomination. — Minutes  of  National  Council,  1907, 
pp.  364-365. 

The  other  two  denominations  did  not  continue  the  nego- 


454        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

tiations  beyond  this  point,  and  the  Tri-Church  Union, 
which  nominally  is  still  in  existence  and  subject  to  call, 
ceased  active  existence.  The  matter  is  notable  not  only  as 
constituting  an  interesting  chapter  in  our  denominational 
history,  but  also  has  an  important  bearing  upon  our  own 
denominational  life.  During  the  period  of  discussions  some 
Congregational  writers  and  speakers  pointed  out  with  clear- 
ness and  insistence  that  all  we  hoped  to  gain  in  the  way 
of  more  compact  organization  could  be  obtained  by  us  with- 
out the  sacrifice,  which  the  author  of  this  volume  charac- 
terized as  "denominational  suicide."  The  agreement  of 
Congregationalists  upon  a  tentative  platform  which  might 
have  served  as  a  possible  basis  of  union  with  other  denom- 
inations, did  much  to  crystallize  sentiment  within  the  de- 
nomination itself  in  favor  of  a  more  effective  organization  of 
the  denomination  for  the  doing  of  its  own  work.  It  is  this 
influence  upon  our  own  denominational  development  which 
gives  the  movement  a  place  in  this  chapter. 

Is  Congregationalism  Representative?  The  most  impor- 
tant effect  of  the  reorganization  effected  in  the  National 
Council  in  1913  was  not  the  adoption  of  a  new  set  of  rules, 
however  important  or  unimportant  these  may  prove  to  be, 
nor  the  formulation  of  a  new  doctrinal  statement,  however 
useful  or  useless  that  may  prove,  nor  yet  the  changes 
wrought  in  the  administration  of  the  missionary  societies, 
all  of  which  are  subject  to  change,  and  some  of  which  are 
practically  certain  to  be  changed.  The  really  important 
thing  done  at  Kansas  City  was  the  recognition  of  the  repre- 
sentative principle  by  the  churches,  expressed  through  the 
National  Council  and  the  societies,  a  controlling  majority 
henceforth  to  be  chosen  by  the  churches,  either  directly  or 
through  agencies  in  which  the  representative  principle  is 
recognized.  This  change,  also,  lies  at  the  heart  of  recent 
reorganization  in  our  state  societies,  which,  one  by  one, 
have  taken  over  in  the  name  of  the  churches  activities 
formerly  delegated  to  voluntary  organizations.  Congrega- 
tionalism is  conscious  of  a  real  denominational  autonomy; 


REPRESENTATIVE   DEMOCRACY 455 

the  autonomy  of  the  local  church,  independent  within  its 
sphere;  the  autonomy  of  district  and  state  bodies  through 
which  the  churches  effect  their  united  work  and  fellowship ; 
and  the  autonomy  of  our  national  church  organization,  the 
National  Council,  and  the  societies,  a  controlling  majority 
of  whose  voting  members  are  members  of  the  National 
Council.  We  are,  what  the  preamble  of  the  National 
Council  affirms,  a  representative  democracy. 

The  Representative  Principle  Declared.  With  this  view  of  the 
Congregational  order  as  representative,  and  not  purely  independ- 
ent, your  Committee  unite  in  the  judgment  that  local,  state,  and 
national  associations  afiford  ample  organization  for  the  direction 
of  all  of  our  denominational  activities,  and  that  the  function  of 
these  organizations  may  be  inclusive  of  all  such  interests,  not 
imperiling  but  directly  safeguarding  the  autonomy  and  liberty  of 
the  local  church.  Believing,  therefore,  that  in  the  interest  of 
simplicity,  unity  and  efficiency  our  organism  should  be  representa- 
tive, we  urge  the  elimination  of  all  such  organizations  as  are  not 
under  the  direction  of  our  representative  bodies. — Report  of  the 
Com.  on  Polity,  Nat.  Council,  1907. 

The  Representative  Principle  Affirmed.  The  Congregational 
Churches  of  the  United  States,  by  delegates  in  National  Council 
assembled,  reserving  all  the  rights  and  cherished  memories  belong- 
ing to  this  organization  under  its  former  Constitution,  and  declar- 
ing the  steadfast  allegiance  of  the  churches  composing  the  Council 
to  the  faith  which  our  fathers  confessed,  which  from  age  to  age 
has  found  its  expression  in  the  historic  creeds  of  the  Church  uni- 
versal and  of  this  Communion,  and  affirming  our  loyalty  to  the 
basic  principles  of  our  representative  democracy,  hereby  set  forth 
the  things  most  surely  believed  among  us  concerning  faith,  polity 
and  fellowship. — Preamble  to  the  Constitution  of  the  National 
Council. 

Popular  Sovereignty  and  Representative  Unity.  We  must  hold 
certainly  to  the  sovereignty  of  the  people  under  Christ  in  our 
Church  organization.  We  cannot  go  back  upon  that,  either  in 
Church  or  State.  But  we  need  not  hold  it  in  a  sense  which 
endangers  the  larger  interests  of  the  Church  of  God.  We  cer- 
tainly need  not  hold  it  in  a  sense  that  is  antagonistic  to  repre- 
sentative government,  for  democracy  is  not  annulled  but  rather 
more  eflFectively  expressed,  through  representative  government. — 
Meredith  Davis:  Congregationalism  and  Its  Ideal,  Constructive 
Quarterly,  Sept.,  1915,  pp.  550,  551. 

Congregationalism  the  Mother  of  the  Nation.  Historically  it 
was  the  mother  of  the  nation.  The  seed  principle  of  a  Congrega- 
tional church  is  the  republican  principles  of  the  State.  And  being 
itself  a  democracy,  its  natural  training  of  its  members  is  as  much 
better  to  the  use  of  making  them  good  citizens  for  the  nation,  as 
the  discipline  of  a  merchant  ship  is  kindlier  than  that  of  a  machine 


456        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

shop,  in  fitting  sailors  for  the  uses  of  a  man-of-war.  In  educating 
its  members  to  think  for  themselves,  a  Congregational  church  edu- 
cates them  to  be  intelligent  voters  in  the  State.  In  schooling  them 
to  accept  and  discharge  more  or  less  weighty  responsibihties,  it 
prepares  them  with  some  good  fidelity  to  bear  the  burdens  of  the 
commonwealth.  To  say  that  the  aristocratic  or  monarchic  polities 
especially  befit  the  American  idea  of  the  State,  is  to  proclaim 
grapes  of  thorns  and  prophesy  figs  of  thistles. — Dexter:  Handbook, 
pp.  131,  132. 

Is  Congregationalism  Necessarily  Provincial?  Early 
Congregationalism  was  not  merely  provincial;  it  was  paro- 
chial. More  than  that,  it  was  almost  individual.  This  is 
not  to  be  said  to  its  shame ;  it  is  rather  an  occasion  of  glory. 
It  recovered  to  the  local  church  and  to  the  individual  soul 
the  rights  that  belonged  to  them.  The  soul  is  sovereign; 
it  is  in  bondage  to  no  other  soul  or  collection  of  souls.  The 
local  church  is  supreme  in  the  management  of  its  own 
affairs;  it  needs  no  overlord,  and  will  tolerate  none. 

But  the  time  came  when  Congregationalism  had  to  think 
in  larger  units  than  those  of  the  local  church.  Nobly  it  rose 
to  this  effort  on  its  spiritual  side.  It  learned  to  pray  "Thy 
kingdom  come"  with  the  map  of  the  world  spread  out  before 
its  eyes.  But  on  the  side  of  organization  it  did  not  readily 
learn  to  think  in  permanent  units  larger  than  those  of  the 
local  organization. 

Even  in  local  matters  it  was  difficult  for  Congregation- 
alism to  think  of  the  church  as  doing  its  own  work  in  its 
own  name.  It  has  been  a  serious  loss  to  Congregationalism 
that  it  has  supposed  it  must  do  practically  all  its  work  in 
the  name  of  some  organization  apart  from  the  churches. 
Thus  the  local  church  did  not  really  manage  its  own  affairs, 
but  depended  on  a  parish,  or  an  ecclesiastical  society,  a  fifth 
wheel  if  ever  a  coach  had  one.  The  State  Conference  did 
not  dream  of  such  a  thing  as  doing  directly  the  united  work 
of  the  churches  within  the  state ;  it  organized  a  State  Home 
Missionary  Society,  even  though  it  was  composed  of  pre- 
cisely the  same  persons,  and  met  at  the  same  time  and 
place ;  it  was  a  needless  and  really  uncongregational  way 
of  doing  it.     Even  now  there  are  good  people  who  fear  to 


REPRESENTATIVE    DEMOCRACY  457 

incorporate  the  National  Council ;  and  for  their  sake  the 
plan  of  the  Commission  of  Nineteen,  which  provided  for  the 
incorporation  of  the  Council,  was  abandoned.  To  these 
timid  souls  it  seemed  much  safer  to  have  a  Corporation 
for  the  National  Council,  rather  than  an  incorporation  of 
the  National  Council.  To  be  sure,  the  two  bodies  are  com- 
posed of  the  same  people,  and  have  the  same  powers,  but 
it  seems  to  some  people  much  safer  to  do  the  thing  by 
indirection.  As  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  no  safer  and  no  better. 
An  incorporation  of  the  National  Council  would  be  quite 
as  safe  as  a  Corporation  for  the  National  Council,  and  would 
bring  the  control  just  one  step  nearer  to  the  churches. 

There  is  no  occasion  to  disturb  the  present  order  of 
things.  The  Corporation  for  the  National  Council  is  admir- 
ably planned,  and  its  powers  are  ample,  and  it  is  fully  con- 
trolled by  the  National  Council ;  it  is  better  to  leave  it  as 
it  is :  but  the  opposition  to  direct  incorporation  merely 
illustrates  what  has  been  from  the  beginning  a  defect  in 
our  Congregational  thinking;  it  has  been  hard  for  us  to 
think  of  the  churches  themselves  at  work  as  churches  in 
larger  units  than  the  local  parish. 

In  the  beginning  Congregationalism  was  necessarily  and 
rightfully  provincial,  even  parochial ;  but  Congregational- 
ism is  learning  to  think  in  larger  units.  Over  against  paro- 
chial Congregationalism  rises  the  larger  and  abiding  vision 
of  Continental  Congregationalism.  We  shall  not  be  diso- 
bedient to  this  heavenly  vision. 

We  will  neither  repudiate  our  own  past  nor  burn  over 
the  ground  of  our  future.  We  love  our  history.  Even  its 
mistakes  are  precious  to  us.  We  cannot  afford  to  lose  out 
of  our  denominational  life  any  essential  element  that  ever 
has  been  in  it  or  that  has  found  expression  through  it.  By 
the  grace  of  God  we  are  what  we  are,  and  we  have  some- 
thing to  contribute  to  the  religious  life  of  the  world  through 
our  very  limitations.  If  we  have  overemphasized  freedom, 
there  were  others  whose  polity  imperiled  it.  If  we  magni- 
fied individualism,  the  world  needed  our  exaggeration  of 


458         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

the  value  of  the  individual  soul  and  the  right  of  private 
judgment.  If  we  insisted  on  the  autonomy  of  the  local 
church  to  the  point  of  connectional  weakness,  that  insist- 
ence had  its  partial  justification  in  the  existence  of  ecclesi- 
astical tyranny  against  which  we  were  making  a  needed 
protest. 

But  none  of  these  things  put  us  in  bondage.  "As  the 
Lord's  free  people"  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  adopted  the  Scrooby 
confession,  and  as  the  Lord's  free  people  we  plan  our  work. 

Are  we  disloyal  to  the  past  in  reaching  out  to  lay  hold 
on  the  opportunities  of  the  future?  Not  so;  we  should  be 
disloyal  to  the  past  if  we  did  anything  else. 

Wc  are  the  Pilgrim  Fathers  of  the  future.  We  are 
launching  new  Mayflowers.  We  are  adapting  the  forms 
and  methods  which  we  have  inherited  from  the  great  men 
of  yesterday  to  the  unparalleled  challenge  and  opportunity 
of  tomorrow.  We  are  making  Continental  and  Catholic 
Congregationalism.  It  is  to  be  continental,  and  more  than 
continental  territorially,  and  catholic  in  its  spirit  and  pur- 
pose. 

The  precise  period  of  the  genesis  of  the  modern  movement  in 
the  development  of  a  denominational  consciousness  and  of  a  repre- 
sentative democratic  order  is  not  easily  determined.  The  sur- 
render of  our  heritage  in  the  Middle  East  to  the  Presbyterians 
and  the  slow  development  of  Congregationalism  in  the  Middle 
West,  due  to  the  disinclination  of  our  New  England  fathers  to 
contest  the  ground  with  our  Presbyterian  friends,  though  retarding 
Congregational  life  and  growth,  resulted  in  stirring  our  constit- 
uency to  aggressive  assertion  of  their  denominational  life  and 
character.  It  resulted,  too,  in  the  organization  of  Congregational 
state  bodies  with  much  more  clearly  defined  and  representative 
ecclesiastical  character  than  those  of  the  East  and  hastened  the 
calling  of  the  Michigan  City  convention  for  the  advancement  of 
common  Congregational  interests.  Once  awakened  to  a  conscious- 
ness of  place  and  power,  there  gradually  evolved  out  of  the  Middle 
West  the  demand  for  a  national  representative  body,  which  held 
its  first  session  in  Boston  in  1865  and  the  first  of  its  regularly 
successive  triennial  sessions  in  Oberlin  in  1871.  For  some  ses- 
sions the  Council  remained  a  purely  deliberative  body,  little  more 
than  a  public  debating  forum,  voicing  its  judgments  in  timid  and 
meager  fashion,  and  not  itself  recognizing  any  function  other  than 
the  purely  advisory  character  its  name  implied  and  its  constitution 
defined. 

The  initiation   of  a  representative  body  of  chosen   delegates 


REPRESENTATIVE   DEMOCRACY 459 

carried  with  it,  however,  an  implication  of  the  wish  and  will  of 
the  churches  which  was  destined  to  find  expression  in  the  assump- 
tion of  administrative  functions.  Gradually  the  Council  itself  be- 
came the  means  of  establishing  a  consistent  Congregational  order. 
The  session  of  1886,  held  in  the  Union  Park  Church,  Chicago,  and 
immediately  following  the  stirring  and  stormy  session  of  the 
American  Board  at  Des  Moines,  marked  the  beginning  of  a  new 
era  in  our  order.  Here  was  fought  out  the  issue  between  the 
older  individualism  and  looser  construction  as  represented  by  the 
distinguished  Nestor  of  Congregationalism,  Rev.  Henry  M.  Dexter, 
D.  D.,  and  the  newer  view  of  a  representative  democracy  as  held 
by  Rev.  Alonzo  H.  Quint,  D.  D.,  and  Rev.  A.  Hastings  Ross,  D.  D. 
These  latter  stood  for  a  representative  organization  in  each  state 
wherein  ministers  were  to  be  accredited.  The  issue  was  the 
seemingly  narrow  one  of  the  determination  of  ministerial  standing, 
but  the  resultant  and  decisive  victory  of  the  new  democracy  paved 
the  way  for  a  consistent  democratic  order.  Gradually  the  Council 
became  conscious  of  its  own  place  in  the  development  of  the  life 
and  work  of  the  churches  and  unconsciously  burst  the  bonds  of 
its  own  constitutional  fetters.  Its  voice  and  expression  served  to 
modify  the  representative  order  of  our  benevolent  societies — a 
forecast  of  a  closer  and  more  intimate  relation  of  these  societies 
to  the  body  of  the  church's  representatives.  The  passing  of  time 
has  developed  the  determination  of  this  relation  into  a  national 
Congregational  issue. 

The  ripening  of  this  issue  had  its  origin  in  the  Middle  West 
and  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  It  was  the  natural  outgrowth  of  the 
closer  organization  of  our  state  bodies,  whereby  the  administrative 
work  of  the  states  has  become  a  single  unit  under  a  central  board 
of  administration  and  with  the  several  departments  of  missionary 
service  rightly  co-ordinated.  The  lapse  of  the  council  system 
necessitated  the  utilization  of  committees  of  the  district  bodies  for 
advisory  and  administrative  service.  The  heretofore  rank  heresy 
of  ministerial  ordination  by  associational  act  is  not  now  uncom- 
mon. The  states  not  dependent  upon  the  national  benevolent  soci- 
eties for  the  support  of  their  missionary  work  within  their  borders 
have  assumed  full  direction  of  these  interests  without  the  useless 
machinery  of  auxiliary  bodies,  vesting  all  administrative  and 
executive  direction  in  the  hands  of  the  churches  in  state  organiza- 
tion. States  dependent  upon  the  national  societies  have  followed 
this  pattern  so  far  as  practicable,  and  all  have  become  incorporated 
bodies,  with  full  administrative  powers  and  able  to  hold  property, 
invest  funds  and  disburse  moneys  at  their  pleasure. 

Congregationalism  has  not  only  survived  the  process,  but 
promises  to  be  increasingly  effective,  and  better  relates  itself  to 
the  dawning  movement  of  church  federation,  with  possibilities  of 
alignment  and  co-operation  impracticable  under  the  old  and  looser 
construction.  And  all  this  has  been  wrought  out  without  infring- 
ing in  the  least  degree  upon  the  liberty  of  the  local  church  or  the 
freedom  of  individual  faith. 

This  widespread  movement  of  reorganization,  initiated  almost 
simultaneously  in  the  several  states  of  the  Middle  West,  had  its 
origin,  not  in  a  panic,  though  our  denominational  conditions  and 
inertia  were  so  grave  as  to  challenge  serious  attention  and  to  call 


460        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

for  prompt  correction,  but  in  the  instinctive  appreciation  of  the 
greater  effectiveness  of  the  simpler  and  more  centralized  admin- 
istration as  contrasted  with  the  heretofore  multiform  and  complex. 
The  success  of  the  new  order  is  not  to  be  determined  by  statistical 
results.  It  will  require  at  least  a  decade  of  years  to  make  reliable 
deductions.  Its  test  will  be  in  the  maintenance  of  a  truly  demo- 
cratic spirit.  If,  instead  of  creating  efficient  superintendents  and 
strong  administrative  boards,  it  breeds  bosses  and  rings,  it  has 
within  itself,  as  a  ready  corrective,  the  voice  of  the  church's  repre- 
sentatives. 

In  the  positing  of  ministerial  standing  in  an  association  of 
Churches  (or  Churches  and  Ministers),  instead  of  in  the  ephemeral 
council,  thereby  creating  permanence  of  ministerial  character,  and 
in  the  representative  coalition  of  associations  in  a  national  body, 
a  new  representative  principle  was  introduced  into  Congregation- 
alism which  would  have  brought  proper  balance  to  the  two  cardinal 
principles  of  our  polity,  autonomy  and  fellowship,  had  it  not  been 
that  our  inheritance  was  one  of  anomalous  and  complex  character, 
in  which  extra-Congregational  usages  and  institutions  had  taken 
root,  not  easily  to  be  brought  into  alignment  with  the  better  order. 
It  has  taken  a  long  time  for  our  churches  to  be  dispossessed  of  the 
idea  that  liberty  is  expressed  only  in  independence;  that  autonomy 
is  self-government  without  counsel,  except  when  asked  for;  that 
the  liberty  and  independence  of  benevolent  institutions,  created 
outside  of  the  churches,  is  to  be  sacredly  observed.  The  demo- 
cratic principle  has  not  only  become  imperiled  but  negatived. 
There  has  been  an  undue  swing  of  the  pendulum  to  the  independ- 
ence rim  of  the  arc.  It  is  the  reaffirmation  and  application  of  the 
democratic  principle  which  most  urgently  calls  for  a  more  con- 
sistent and  effective  organization  of  our  forces.  Two  impelling 
factors  lead  to  this  end:  The  necessity  of  the  situation,  and  the 
Providential  opportunity. — John  P.  Sanderson:  Main  Lines  of  Con- 
gregational  Reorganization,   1906. 

Have  We  Sacrificed  Democracy?  Democracy  has  not 
been  sacrificed  in  the  recent  changes  in  Congregational 
polity.  So  far  as  these  changes  relate  to  the  administration 
of  our  denominational  affairs  larger  than  local,  it  may  truth- 
fully be  affirmed  that,  these  have  never  been  so  directly 
under  control  of  the  churches  as  now. 

When  Congregationalism  began  its  expansion  in  Ncv^^ 
England,  and  was  learning  its  first  lessons  in  connection- 
alism,  there  were  three  kinds  of  experiment  in  which  the 
churches  tried  out  the  various  forms  of  fellowship  through 
larger  units  than  the  local  church.  One  was  by  the  calling 
of  councils.  This  was  a  convenient  and  within  certain 
limits  an  effective  expression  of  fellowship  without  ecclesi- 
astical   control.    Yet   the   council    was    subject   to   certain 


REPRESENTATIVE    DEMOCRACY  461 

marked  limitations.  It  was  not  large  enough  nor  repre- 
sentative enough  nor  permanent  enough  nor  responsible 
enough  for  the  larger  requirements  of  fellowship  and  effi- 
ciency. Moreover,  a  council  could  be  quite  as  tyrannical 
as  any  of  the  more  permanent  forms  of  fellowship.  There 
was  a  time  when  the  churches  in  and  about  Boston,  uniting 
in  councils,  constituted  a  virtual  close  corporation  to  pre- 
vent the  organization  of  new  churches ;  and  in  that  usurpa- 
tion of  a  power  wholly  foreign  to  the  spirit  and  genius  of 
the  council,  those  churches  were  quite  as  effectively  organ- 
ized to  block  progress  as  if  they  had  been  solidified  into  a 
synod. 

The  next  form  of  fellowship  and  connectionalism  was 
expressed  through  civil  authority.  This  began  with  the 
colonies  of  New  England,  and  lasted  long  after  those  col- 
onies became  states.  The  General  Court  of  Massachusetts 
called  the  Synod  that  adopted  the  Cambridge  Platform  in 
1648,  the  Boston  Synod  of  1662  and  the  Reforming  Synod 
of  1680.  The  General  Court  of  Connecticut  convened  the 
Saybrook  Synod  of  1708.  The  grip  of  the  State  was  on  the 
wrist  of  the  Church  for  well  nigh  two  centuries. 

The  third  way  of  uniting  for  common  work  was  through 
corporations  chartered  by  the  state,  though  managed  by 
men  of  the  church,  and  called  to  existence  for  the  extension 
of  the  work  of  the  churches.  These  voluntary  societies, 
great  as  was  their  achievement,  were  not  representative  of 
the  churches.  A  corporation  chartered  in  Connecticut 
entered  into  covenant  with  the  Presbyterian  General 
Assembly  in  1801,  and  bound  not  only  the  whole  of  Con- 
gregationalism as  it  then  was,  but  the  whole  of  unborn 
Congregationalism  as  it  was  to  be,  for  a  full  disastrous  half 
century. 

The  important  thing  to  be  remembered,  however,  is  not 
whether  these  various  plans  worked  well  or  ill  at  the  various 
periods  in  which  they  were  employed,  but  that  none  of  them 
were  democratic.  The  changes  of  recent  years,  which  the 
unthinking  have  sometimes  criticized  as  a  departure  from 


462        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

historic  Congregationalism,  are  really  a  frank  application 
of  the  Congregational  principle  to  our  modern  and  growing 
tasks,  not  to  the  detriment  of  the  Congregational  principle, 
but  to  the  displacement  of  certain  principles  and  organiza- 
tions which  never  were  Congregational  in  their  forms  of 
operation. 

Dr.  Nehemiah  Boynton,  while  moderator  of  the  National 
Council,  was  accustomed  to  speak  of  the  "unappropriated 
areas"  of  ecclesiastical  power,  which  the  loose  organization 
of  the  early  days  made  possible  in  Congregationalism,  which 
areas  had  gradually  been  squatted  upon  by  organizations 
formed  for  worthy  ends,  but  possessing  no  title  deeds  under 
the  forms  of  historic  Congregationalism.  The  method  and 
spirit  of  recent  changes  has  been  to  recover  these  areas  of 
power  for  the  churches  themsejves. 

They  speak  with  little  knowledge  of  the  past,  with  little 
ability  to  evaluate  the  present,  with  little  vision  for  the 
future,  who  maintain  that  the  older  way  was  more  demo- 
cratic than  the  newer  way.  Under  the  methods  at  present 
accepted  among  us  the  churches  themselves  control  the 
entire  machinery  of  the  denominations,  from  the  local  parish 
to  the  National  Council.  There  is  autonomy  everywhere, 
as  broad  as  it  is  long.  There  is  local  autonomy  in  the  local 
church ;  district  autonomy  of  the  churches  in  the  District 
Association;  state-wide  autonomy  of  the  churches  united 
for  their  state  work  in  the  State  Conference,  and  needing 
no  outside  corporation  for  the  doing  of  it;  and  nation-wide 
autonomy  for  the  churches  united  in  national  work  and 
fellowship. 

There  is  authority  only  so  far  as  to  be  commensurate 
with  responsibility,  and  the  only  authority  anywhere  is  the 
authority  of  the  churches. 

An  Inconsistency  Now  Partially  Remedied.  Out  of  this  con- 
dition there  lie  two  pathways  and  only  two:  We  may  return  to 
the  original  order;  we  may  disorganize  our  National  Council;  we 
may  re-emphasize  the  ecclesiastical  Council  and  again  vest  in  it 
ministerial  standing;  we  may  adjourn  our  local  and  state  bodies 
sine  die;  we  may  re-commission  our  benevolent  societies  to  their 


REPRESENTATIVE   DEMOCRACY 463 

independent  service;  we  may  revive  the  spirit  of  the  independence 
of  the  local  church;  and  we  may  place  ourselves  out  of  line  with 
the  whole  trend  of  the  day  because  of  our  insistence  upon  the 
worth  of  the  independent  order  of  church  life;  that  were  a  con- 
sistent policy.  Or  we  may  carefully  counsel  together  and  endeavor 
properly  to  co-ordinate  our  forces;  we  may  develop  a  truly  Con- 
gregational, representative  and  democratic  system;  we  may  in- 
crease the  functions  of  the  local  association,  state  association  and 
National  Council;  we  may  ask  the  national  societies  to  become 
constituent  parts  of  our  common  organism;  that  were  a  consistent 
policy.     Our  present  relations  are  inconsistent. 

The  logic  of  the  situation,  the  trend  of  the  times,  the  growing 
conviction  of  our  denominational  leaders,  the  demand  of  the  rank 
and  file  of  our  churches  is  along  the  last  named  program.  Can  it 
be  done  without  sacrificing  the  rights  of  the  local  church?  _  It 
must  be  done  to  preserve  those  rights.  In  the  present  constitution 
of  several  of  our  benevolent  interests  neither  the  local  church,  the 
local  association  or  conference,  the  state  Association,  nor  the 
National  Council  have  any  constitutional  rights,  however  large 
their  moral  influence. 

The  integration  of  our  denominational  interests  is  the  most 
important  task  before  us  in  the  realm  of  ecclesiastical  order.  The 
pathway  is  clear  and  the  end  to  be  sought  is  feasible.  The  unit  of 
our  fellowship  is  the  local  church  and  the  character  of  our  fellow- 
ship is  that  of  a  representative  democracy.  In  the  development 
of  a  consistent  Congregational  polity  these  declarations  should  be 
constantly  kept  in  mind;  if  we  keep  them  in  the  foreground  we 
shall  need  to  take  care  that  the  expression  of  our  will  shall  lie 
just  as  near  the  local  churches  as  possible.  Any  plan  which 
minimizes  the  function  of  the  local  association  and  magnifies  the 
state  body  at  its  expense  is  to  be  regarded  with  disfavor  as  remov- 
ing the  responsibility  one  step  farther  from  the  local  church. — 
John  P.  Sanderson:  What  Modifications  of  Congregational  Polity 
Are  Desirable?  1907. 

The  Larger  Autonomy.  We  equally  insist  that  our  Congrega- 
tional churches  are  more  than  independent  units.  While  recogniz- 
ing the  right  of  independent  action,  even  to  the  withdrawal  of 
fellowship  from  the  body  of  churches,  we  are  assured  that  the 
individual  churches  will  find  larger  life  and  usefulness  in  common 
pact  of  fellowship  with  other  churches.  Unitedly  they  may  rneet 
in  local,  state,  and  national  bodies,  vesting  in  these  organizations 
such  privileges  of  administration  and  direction  as  they  may  choose. 
In  such  representative  bodies  their  own  independence  and  will 
may  always  find  truer  expression  than  in  corporations  organized 
without  such  direct  representation. — Report  of  the  Committee  on 
Polity,  Nat.  Council,  1907. 

Our  Ideal  Not  Yet  Realized.  Our  constitutive  idea  finds  ex- 
pression in  relation  to  the  service  of  the  Kingdom  of  God,  and  so 
long  as  we  ensure  that  expression  of  it,  we  save  alive  the  soul  of 
Congregationalism.  It  is  clear  that  the  basal  principle  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Church  is  of  the  greatest  significance  and  value.  Every- 
thing proceeds  from  the  creative  presence  of  Christ  in  the  fellow- 
ship of  believers.  Applied  to  the  pulpit,  it  throws  into  relief  the 
sacramental   significance  of  preaching.     In   respect  to   the  act  of 


464        THE  LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

worship,  it  implies  a  revised  doctrine  of  the  Real  Presence.  In 
relation  to  service,  it  constitutes  believers  the  veritable  Body  of 
Christ — hands  with  which  He  builds  His  Kingdom,  feet  with  which 
He  carries  the  Gospel  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  while  its 
application  to  the  Church  and  churches  demands,  not  perhaps  un- 
varying uniformity,  certainly  not  the  present  disunion  and  strife, 
but  such  a  relationship  as  is  expressed  in  the  words  "that  they  may 
be  one,  even  as  we  are  one."  It  is  a  profound  and  majestic  ideal. 
We  find  it  inadequately  expressed  in  Congregationalism  as  it  is, 
and  we  are  driven  to  the  conclusion  that  for  the  effective  cxpres- 
lion  of  our  own  cardinal  principle,  considerable  changes  are  neces- 
sary, involving  less  conservatism  with  regard  to  the  polity  that 
exists,  and  a  clearer  recognition  of  the  fact  that  a  rnore  collectivist 
polity  and  organization  are  indispensable  to  the  achievement  of  our 
one  great  end — the  Kingdom  of  God  upon  earth. — Meredith  Davis: 
Congregationalism  and  Its  Ideal;  Const.  Quarterly,  Sept.,  1915. 

Twentieth-Century  Congregationalism.  We  have  given  no  judi- 
cial function  to  the  National  Council,  or,  indeed,  to  any  organiza- 
tion outside  of  the  individual  church.  An  effort  has  been  made  to 
secure  something  of  continuity  in  the  organic  life  of  the  denomina- 
tion, as  represented  in  the  National  Council.  Its  members  are 
elected  for  two  meetings,  two  years  apart,  one-half  being  elected 
each  time.  The  ofhcers  continue  from  one  meeting  to  the  next; 
the  Nominating  Committee  is  a  standing  body,  renewed  in  part  at 
each  meeting,  but  charged  with  the  responsibility  of  seeing  that 
proper  nominations  are  made.  The  Council  will  have  large  influ- 
ence in  safeguarding  and  protecting  the  rights  of  the  churches,  to 
which  it  will  keep  close.  It  will  open  the  way  for  whatever  of  con- 
solidation is  necessary  in  the  Missionary  Societies  which  are  all 
under  their  own  charters,  having  sprung  up  spontaneously  and 
developed  their  own  specific  work  alongside  of  others,  who,  at 
times,  have  been  doing  the  same  work.  The  supervision  of  their 
work,  for  which  the  Council  has  provided,  will  also  tend  greatly 
to  produce  harmony  between  our  action  and  that  of  the  Missionary 
Societies  of  other  denominations,  which,  happily,  are  now_  all  en- 
gaged in  adjusting  their  relations  in  the  interest  of  Christian  effi- 
ciency and  the  avoiding  of  over-churching  certain  regions,  at  the 
expense  of  neglecting  others.  But  even  more  important  than  this, 
within  the  life  of  the  denomination,  is  the  duty  laid  upon  the  Board 
of  Missions,  which  is  the  executive  department  of  the  Council  in 
this  connection,  that  it  shall  supervise  the  raising  of  money  for 
missionary  and  benevolent  purposes,  so  far  as  to  secure  the  adop- 
tion of  the  Apportionment  Plan  among  the  churches,  and  to  indi- 
cate how  much  money  the  denomination,  as  a  whole,  ought  to  aim 
to  raise;  instituting,  if  possible,  such  methods  as  will  secure  the 
raising  of  the  money.  In  proportion  as  this  is  effectively  done,  the 
working  secretaries  and  officers  of  the  various  Missionary  Societies 
will  be  relieved  from  what  has  hitherto  been  a  large  and  burden- 
some part  of  their  work.  They  will  be  left  free,  more  than  in  the 
past,  to  give  their  time  to  the  administration  of  their  societies  and 
the  promotion  and  supervision  of  their  definite  tasks.  The  late 
Archbishop  Temple  said  to  Christians  in  England:  "We  are  now 
men  governed  by  principle,  and  cannot  any  longer  rely  upon  the 
impulses  of  youth  or  the  discipline  of  childhood."     Our  effort  as 


REPRESENTATIVE   DEMOCRACY 465 

Congregationalists  is  to  give  to  the  Christian  principles  which 
underlie  our  ecclesiastical  life  a  positive  emphasis  and  a  larger 
significance. 

We  have  made  something  of  a  fetish  of  Separatism;  and  Indi- 
vidualism, often  carried  to  extremes  has  been  our  curse.  The  time 
now  has  come  for  Unity.  A  true  fellow^ship  with  one  another  can 
alone  be  our  salvation.  Other  Nonconformists  have  learned  to 
work  together,  and  yet  abide  in  love.  We  have  made  a  flag  of  our 
individualism,  which  bears  the  same  relation  to  independence  that 
license  does  to  liberty. 

Happily,  a  new  spirit  has  come  upon  our  churches,  which  was 
strikingly  exhibited  at  the  Kansas  City  meeting,  which  stands  dis- 
tinguished, before  all  else,  for  the  kindliness  of  its  temper,  the 
earnestness,  and  at  the  same  time  the  good  nature,  of  its  debates, 
and  the  keenness  of  its  interest  in  the  questions  that  concerned  the 
life  of  the  denomination,  coupled  with  the  overwhelming  sense  of 
the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  the  undisturbed  spiritual 
atmosphere  which  characterized  all  the  sessions  of  the  Council. — 
H.  A.  Stimson,  in  Bibliothica  Sacra,  Jan.,  1915. 

What  Is  the  World  Conference  on  Faith  and  Order? 

The  World  Conference  on  Faith  and  Order  w^as  proposed 
at  the  General  Convention  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  in  the  United  States  in  1910,  in  the  foUow^ing  reso- 
lution : 

Whereas,  There  is  today  among  all  Christian  people  a  growing 
desire  for  the  fulfillment  of  Our  Lord's  prayer  that  all  His  disciples 
may  be  one;  that  the  world  may  believe  that  God  has  sent  Him: 

Resolved,  The  House  of  Bishops  concurring,  That  a  Joint  Com- 
mission be  appointed  to  bring  about  a  Conference  for  the  con- 
sideration of  questions  touching  Faith  and  Order,  and  that  all 
Christian  Communions  throughout  the  world  which  confess  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  God  and  Saviour  be  asked  to  unite  with  us 
in  arranging  for  and  conducting  such  a  Conference.  The  Commis- 
sion shall  consist  of  seven  Bishops,  appointed  by  the  Chairman  of 
the  House  of  Bishops,  and  seven  Presbyters  and  seven  Laymen, 
appointed  by  the  President  of  the  House  of  Deputies,  and  shall 
have  power  to  add  to  its  number  and  to  fill  any  vacancies  occurring 
before  the  next  General  Convention. 

These  further  resolutions  have  been  adopted: 

(1)  The  Conference  is  for  the  definite  purpose  of  considering 
those  things  in  which  we  diflfer,  in  the  hope  that  a  better  under- 
standing of  divergent  views  of  Faith  and  Order  will  result  in  a 
deepened  desire  for  reunion  and  in  official  action  on  the  part  of 
the  separated  Communions  themselves.  It  is  the  business  of  the 
Conference,  not  to  take  such  official  action,  but  to  inspire  it  and  to 
prepare  the  way  for  it. 

(2)  All  Christian  Communions  are  to  be  asked  "to  unite  with 
us  in  arranging  for  and  conducting"  the  Conference.  We,  our- 
selves, are  to  take  only  preliminary  action,  and  at  the  earliest 
moment  possible  are  to  act  in  association  with   others.     Formal 


466        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

association  for  joint  action  can  be  effected  only  after  a  sufficient 
number  of  commissions  shall  have  been  appointed,  and  sufficient 
opportunity  to  appoint  such  commissions  shall  have  been  afforded 
to  all  Communions,  both  Catholic  and  Protestant. 

(3)  The  Conference  will  have  no  power  to  commit  any  par- 
ticipating Communion  upon  any  point. 

The  Congregational  and  many  other  denominations  have 
voted  to  accept  this  invitation.  It  is  not  known  at  the  time 
of  the  publication  of  this  volume  when  the  conference  will 
be  held. 

What  Is  Our  Attitude  Toward  Current  Movements  for 
Union?  The  Congregational  churches  have  always  been 
ready  to  consider  plans  for  closer  working  union  with  all 
branches  of  the  Church  of  Christ,  and  are  ready  also  to 
confer  concerning  organic  union.  Questions  of  union  at 
present  mooted  are  likely  to  crystallize  around  the  invita- 
tion of  the  Episcopalians  to  unite  in  a  World  Conference 
on  Faith  and  Order.  Whether  that  Conference  will  be  pro- 
ductive of  good  we  may  not  now  predict.  Our  denomina- 
tion will  be  represented  in  it,  and  will  meet  more  than  half 
way  any  proposals  looking  toward  the  closer  relations  of 
our  Christian  bodies. 

It  needs  to  be  said,  however,  that  the  Congregational 
churches  cannot  fail  to  know  that  the  Episcopalians  are  at 
present  facing  a  very  serious  division  in  their  own  ranks, 
and  we  do  not  wish  them  to  divide  over  us.  It  would  be  a 
poor  union  that  should  draw  one  wing  of  the  Episcopal 
Church  a  trifle  closer  toward  us,  and  at  the  same  time  draw 
it  out  of  all  fellowship  with  the  rest  of  its  own  communion. 

It  would  seem  better  on  the  whole  that  the  Episcopal 
churches  should  themselves  decide  on  what  basis  they  will 
propose  fellowship  with  us.  If  they  are  ready  to  confer 
with  us  as  churches  conferring  with  churches,  we  shall 
understand  each  other;  but  if  that  issue  is  to  be  kept  in 
the  background  at  the  outset,  only  to  emerge  later  in  the 
declaration  that  we  are  conferring  as  "The  Church"  in  con- 
ference with   "separated  brethren"  who  are  not  in  "The 


REPRESENTATIVE    DEMOCRACY  467 

Church,"  the  conference  will  not  make  much  progress 
beyond  the  point  at  which  that  declaration  is  made. 

Yet  that  is  precisely  what  a  large  proportion  of  Episco- 
palians do  affirm ;  and  they  who  say  such  things  need  not 
talk  much  about  desiring  union  with  other  Christian  bodies. 

It  has  lately  been  said  by  a  good  man  of  our  own  fellow- 
ship who  has  become  somewhat  enraptured  by  the  dream 
of  a  closer  union  with  Episcopalians,  "Let  us  not  ask  what 
they  will  concede  to  us  until  we  tell  them  what  we  are 
willing  to  concede  to  them." 

The  answer  to  this  is  simple ;  we  have  already  conceded 
all  that  we  shall  ever  ask  them  to  concede.  We  concede 
that  they  are  Christians,  and  we  do  not  re-confirm  them ; 
we  concede  that  theirs  are  true  churches,  and  we  do  not 
ignore  them;  we  concede  that  their  ministers  are  ordained 
with  a  valid  ordination,  and  we  treat  them  as  Christian 
ministers.  We  shall  never  ask  more  than  this  of  the  Episco- 
palians, and  we  cannot  ask  less  of  them  than  the  full  admis- 
sion that  ours,  too,  are  true  churches  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  possessed  of  a  valid  ministry,  and  administering 
true  sacraments.  If  Episcopalians  answer  to  this,  "You 
must  not  ask  us  to  concede  at  the  outset  what  must  be  the 
very  point  at  issue  between  us,"  we  must  answer  that  we 
cannot  assist  them  in  settling  this  question,  since  it  is  for 
themselves  they  must  settle  it;  we  do  not  ask  nor  permit 
them  to  decide  this  question  for  us. 

If  again  they  answer,  "We  cannot  admit  these  things 
concerning  you  without  giving  up  the  ground  on  which 
our  own  Church  stands,"  our  answer  is  that  in  that  case 
there  is  no  need  for  them  to  invite  us  into  conference;  we 
would  not  willingly  be  responsible  for  results  so  unfortu- 
nate. They  must  measure  this  risk  to  their  own  system 
before  they  invite  us  to  confer  with  them.  On  the  other 
hand,  we  see  very  little  value  in  their  sending  us  an  invita- 
tion which  has  prefixed  to  it  a  denial  of  our  ecclesiastical 
existence. 

If  Bishop  Gore  of  Oxford  correctly  states  the  position 


468        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

of  the  Episcopal  Church  in  his  reply  to  the  Archbishop  of 
Canterbury  concerning  Kikuyu,  and  the  episcopate  is  of  the 
essence  of  a  valid  ministry,  the  negotiations  may  as  well 
halt  at  this  point  as  at  any  other.    He  says : 

The  conclusion  seems  to  me  quite  irresistible  that  the  whole 
idea  of  the  visible  Catholic  Church  has  been  from  the  beginning 
bound  up  with  the  institution  of  the  ministerial  succession  which 
took  shape  universally  and  solely  in  the  succession  of  Bishops; 
that,  if  in  any  respect  the  Church  Catholic  has  exercised  the 
authority  of  binding  and  loosing,  it  has  exercised  this  authority 
so  as  to  make  Episcopal  ordination  strictly  necessary  for  ministry 
in  the  Church — of  the  esse,  not  of  the  bene  esse  of  "valid"  or 
recognizable  ministry.  The  Episcopate  as  the  necessary  mark  of 
the  Church  holds  exactly  the  same  position  of  Catholic  authority 
as  the  Creed  or  the  Canon  of  Scripture.  To  accept  a  non-episcopal 
ministry  is  an  act  of  explicit  rebellion  against  the  authority  of  the 
ancient  and  undivided  Church  than  which  there  can  be  no  rebellion 
more  complete.  Then,  when  I  go  back  to  the  origin  of  our  religion, 
I  am  convinced  that  the  institution  of  the  visible  Church  and  its 
ministry  belongs  to  its  original  essence  and  bears  the  authority  of 
the  Lord  Himself. 

"Valid"  and  "invalid"  expresses  a  different  and  more  funda- 
mental idea  than  "regular"  and  "irregular."  If  there  is  a  visible 
Church  having  authority  to  bind  and  loose  in  the  administration 
of  sacraments,  it  must  say,  "Sacraments  administered  under  such 
and  such  conditions  are  not  sacraments  which  we  can  recognize — 
they  carry  no  longer  with  them  the  guarantee  of  the  Church." 
The  Church  has  not  said  that  Baptisms  celebrated  by  those  who 
are  not  priests  are  not  valid:  it  has  not  even  said  universally  or 
in  all  cases  that  Confirmations  not  administered  by  a  Bishop  are 
invalid;  it  has  not  as  a  whole  said  that  schism  invalidates  sacra- 
ments: but  it  has  said  that  ordinations  to  holy  orders  not  cele- 
brated by  a  Bishop  are  invalid,  and  that  Eucharists  not  celebrated 
by  an  episcopally  ordained  priest  are  invalid.  Let  us  be  thankful 
that  the  Church  cannot  and  does  not  claim  to  restrict  the  free 
action  of  God.  But  it  does  claim,  and  the  claim  seems  to  me  irre- 
sistible, that  the  new  covenant  was  with  the  Church,  and  the 
Church  was  endued  with  authority  to  bind  and  loose,  and  has  done 
so  with  an  unmistakable  emphasis  and  constancy  and  universality 
in  respect  of  Creed  and  Episcopate  alike.  If  this  be  so,  and  the 
Anglican  Church  accepts  the  results  of  this  determination  of  the 
Church,  and  interprets  in  the  light  of  this  determination  great 
passages  or  principles  of  Holy  Scripture,  then  it  seems  to  me  that 
we  must,  in  the  mission-field  as  at  home,  give  plain  notice  of  our 
platform;  and  I  feel  quite  convinced  that  if  it  is  once  understood 
where  we  intend  to  stand — where  we  must  stand  if  the  Anglican 
communion  is  to  hold  together — one  result  is  certain  to  follow: 
we  must  be  left  out  of  any  general  Protestant  federation. 

Episcopalians  need  not  approach  us  with  an  invitation 
to  confer  on  church  union,  and  at  the  same  time  tell  us 


REPRESENTATIVE    DEMOCRACY  469 

that  "To  accept  a  non-episcopal  ministry  is  an  act  of  ex- 
plicit rebellion  against  the  authority  of  the  ancient  and 
undivided  Church  than  which  there  can  be  no  rebellion 
more  complete." 

But  the  history  of  the  Episcopal  Church  is  against  any 
such  position.  A  recent  article  in  the  London  "Churchman" 
summarizes  the  historic  position  of  the  Episcopal  Church, 
and  shows  that  to  concede  the  validity  of  Congregational 
and  Presbyterian  orders  would  in  no  sense  invalidate  the 
Episcopal  position,  or  if  it  would,  then  that  position  was 
surrendered  by  the  Episcopalians  long  ago: 

The  Act  of  1570,  whatever  its  design,  was  certainly  interpreted 
and  employed  to  permit  foreign  non-episcopal  divines  to  exercise 
their  ministry  in  our  Church  without  re-ordination,  by  merely  sub- 
scribing the  Articles.  For  this  Act  to  supply  the  churches  "with 
pastors  of  sound  religion"  declared  that  every  person  who  "pre- 
tended to  be  a  priest  or  minister  of  God's  Holy  Word  and  Sacra- 
ments, by  reason  of  any  other  form  of  institution,  consecration, 
or  ordering"  than  the  forms  set  forth  by  authority  under  Edward 
VI  and  Elizabeth  "should  declare  his  assent  and  subscribe  to  all 
the  Articles  of  Religion"  (Prothero,  "Statutes  and  Const.  Docu- 
ments," 1894,  p.  64). 

There  is,  moreover,  absolutely  conclusive  proof  that  the  Tul- 
chane  or  titular  Bishops  existing  in  the  Scotch  Church  in  1603 
were  merely  Parliamentary  officials  in  Presbyterian  orders  only, 
and  that,  therefore.  Canon  55  in  exhorting  us  to  pray  for  the 
Churches  of  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  "distinctly  recognized 
a  Church  possessing  only  Presbyterian  orders  as  a  branch  of 
Christ's  Holy  Catholic  Church."  This  clear  testimony  to  the 
validity  of  Presbyterian  orders  was  further  affirmed  when  Arch- 
bishop Bancroft  refused  to  re-ordain  as  "deacons  and  priests"  the 
ministers  who  were  consecrated  as  Bishops  for  the  Scotch  Church 
in  1610,  on  the  ground  that  "where  Bishops  could  not  be  had" 
Presbyterian  ordination  "must  be  esteemed  lawful";  otherwise  it 
might  be  doubted  if  there  were  any  lawful  vocation  in  most  of 
the  Reformed  Churches  (Spotiswood,  "History  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland,"  Book  VII,  p.  514).  Bishop  Morton,  a  little  later  on, 
also  similarly  refused  the  Archbishop  of  Spalato's  request  to  re- 
ordain  a  foreign  Reformed  divine  who  was  to  minister  in  England, 
maintaining  "that  it  could  not  be  done  but  to  the  scandal  of  the 
Reformed  Churches  in  which  he  would  have  no  hand"  since  ordina- 
tion was  "the  jus  antiquum  of  presbyters"  (Neal,  "History  of  the 
Puritans,"  Vol.  II,  p.  353). 

Besides  the  sufficient  testimony  of  such  representative  Church- 
men as  Lord  Chancellor  Clarendon,  Bishops  Burnet,  Cosin,  and 
Fleetwood,  that  these  foreign  Reformed  clergy  were  given  cures 
of  souls  in  England  without  further  ordination,  and  were  therefore 
required  as  part  of  their  ministerial  duties  to  administer  the  Com- 


470        THE   LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

munion  to  Episcopalians,  we  have  well  attested  individual  examples 
of  this  practice.  Wittinghame,  an  Englishman,  ordained  at  Geneva, 
was  Dean  of  Durham  for  years,  while  Archbishop  Grindal's  license 
to  John  Morrison,  the  Scotch  Presbyterian  divine,  to  exercise  his 
ministry  "throughout  the  Province  of  Canterbury"  is  still  pre- 
served (Strype,  "Life  of  Grindal,"  p.  402).  We  find  further  that 
many  French  Reformed  clergy  ministered  in  English  Churches  in 
the  Channel  Isles  without  re-ordination.  (See  Hole's  "Church 
History,"  p.  278.) — Rev.  C.  Sydney  Carter  in  The  Churchman  (Lon- 
don), October,  1915. 

Episcopal  Practice.  For  one  hundred  years  after  the  Reforma- 
tion we  could  go  through  the  books  and  show  you  case  after  case 
not  only  of  men  who  have  been  received  to  the  Communion  in  the 
English  Church  never  having  been  confirmed,  but,  mark  this, 
brought  to  the  universities  to  teach  the  future  priests  of  the 
English  Church,  who  had  never  been  confirmed  and  never  been 
ordained  except  by  Presbyterian  or  Congregational  ordinations; 
that  there  were  canons  of  cathedrals  and  curates  in  many  churches 
throughout  England  who  had  never  received  any  ordination  except 
that  of  Geneva  or  the  Lutheran  church  or  the  Huguenots,  and  the 
people  received  the  Communion  at  the  hands  of  these  men  who 
themselves  had  previously  received  the  Communion  though  they 
had  never  been  confirmed.  This  is  the  unbroken  history  of  the 
English  Church  for  more  than  one  hundred  years  to  the  passing 
of  the  act  of  uniformity  after  the  restoration  of  Charles  the  Second. 
— Rev.  Leighton  Parks:  (Episcopahan)  Sermon  in  Boston  in  1905. 

Slender  Basis  of  Episcopal  Claim,  I  have  thus  far  said  nothing 
of  the  Apostolic  succession  of  the  Holy  Ministry,  upon  which 
Anglicans  lay  so  great  stress.  Indeed,  it  is  only  an  incident,  in  a 
vastly  greater  whole.  The  Anglican  complacency  in  the  Apostolic 
succession  of  the  ministry  of  the  Church  of  England  received  a 
rude  shock  when  Pope  Leo  XIII,  after  a  careful  and  searching 
historical  investigation,  declared  Anglican  orders  invalid.  From 
the  Roman  point  of  view,  his  decision  cannot  be  successfully  dis- 
puted. If  it  be  necessary  to  a  valid  Christian  ministry  that  it 
should  be  the  intention  of  the  ordinal  to  ordain  a  real  sacrificing 
priest,  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  Anglican  orders  are  in- 
valid, because  the  Anglican  Reformers  had  no  such  intention. 
Anglican  orders  can  be  vindicated  only  on  the  ground  that  it  was 
the  intention  of  the  Anglican  Reformers,  in  their  ordinal,  to  ordain 
such  a  reformed  ministry  of  deacons,  priests  and  bishops,  as  they 
supposed  was  the  genuine  Apostolic  inheritance.  If  they  made  a 
mistake  in  omitting  the  important  element  of  the  sacrificial  char- 
acter of  the  priesthood,  it  was  a  mistake  of  ignorance,  and  not  of 
wilful  disobedience  to  their  Lord. 

But  if  Anglican  orders  must  be  defended  on  this  ground,  so 
can  Lutheran  and  Presbyterian  orders,  for  the  Lutheran  and  Cal- 
vinistic  Reformers  were  just  as  sincere  and  desirous  of  loyal  ad- 
herence to  the  Lord's  institution  as  were  the  Anglicans.  If  their 
orders  are  regarded  as  more  defective  than  the  Anglican,  yet  their 
intention  was  substantially  the  same. 

We  should  consider  the  historical  situation  when  the  Churches 
of  the  Reformation  were  separated  from  Rome  and  compelled  to 


REPRESENTATIVE   DEMOCRACY 471 

become  national  Churches.  The  Anglican  episcopal  succession  de- 
pends upon  a  very  slender  thread.  Not  one  of  the  four  bishops 
who  consecrated  Archbishop  Parker  had  jurisdiction  in  any  of  the 
historic  sees.  Under  these  circumstances  it  is  altogether  unhis- 
torical  and  unbecoming  for  the  Anglicans  to  exalt  themselves  above 
their  Protestant  brethren  on  the  Continent,  as  if  they  alone  had 
the  true  Apostolic  Ministry.— Prof.  Chas.  A.  Briggs:  (Episcopalian) 
Art.  in  Independent,  Jan.  28,  1904. 

In  like  manner  prominent  Episcopalian  scholars  in  our 
own  country  have  repeatedly  pointed  out  that  the  Episco- 
palians would  suffer  no  loss  of  the  essential  principles  of 
their  denomination  by  meeting  us  on  what  Bishop  Brown 
calls  "a  level  plan  of  Church  union."  But  there  is  no  pres- 
ent consensus  of  opinion  among  Episcopalians  looking  to- 
ward any  such  level  plan,  and  it  is  too  soon  to  say  what 
will  be  the  result  of  these  conferences. 

Meantime,  we  have  learned  some  things  as  a  result  of 
our  conferences  with  the  United  Brethren  and  Methodist 
Protestants.  One  of  them  is  that  it  is  as  hard  to  come  to 
terms  with  a  small  denomination  as  with  a  large  one. 
When  we  attempt  church  union,  we  might  as  well  attempt 
it  on  a  scale  of  some  magnitude.  Another  is  that  differ- 
ences in  polity  are  more  difficult  to  adjust  than  apparent 
differences  of  creed.  If  the  time  comes  when  we  are  ready 
to  consider  a  merger  that  may  involve  the  sacrifice  of  our 
denominational  name,  and  that  time  is  not  now  in  sight, 
there  are  large  bodies  close  akin  to  us  in  history  and  polity 
with  whom  negotiations  would  be  more  likely  to  be  fruitful 
than  any  that  at  present  are  under  discussion. 

Our  closest  working  union  is  with  the  Presbyterians. 
For  more  than  a  century  we  have  had  a  practical  working 
agreement  with  them  in  both  home  and  foreign  missionary 
work.  They  are  becoming  more  democratic,  and  we  are 
becoming  more  highly  organized.  If  the  Providence  of 
God  should  bring  into  still  closer  union  these  two  great 
Puritan  bodies,  on  terms  that  guaranteed  freedom  and  fel- 
lowship, it  might  be  for  the  greater  glory  of  God. 

Close  to  us,  on  the  other  hand,  stand  the  Baptists  and 
the  Disciples  of  Christ,  who  are  bone  of  our  bone  and  flesh 


472        THE  LAW   OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

of  our  flesh.  The  latter,  especially,  by  their  open  com- 
munion, stand  where  we  can  reach  their  hand  over  no  high 
wall  of  separation.  The  Disciples  have  some  qualities  which 
we  need,  and  we  have  some  which  they  need.  Territorially, 
they  are  strong  where  we  are  weak,  and  weak  where  we  are 
strong.  A  far-sighted  and  statesmanlike  plan  of  union 
would  waste  little  present  effort  on  bodies  which  probably 
cannot  come  into  any  closer  fellowship  with  us  without 
being  rent  asunder  in  the  process,  and,  if  we  really  want 
union,  to  seek  it  where  there  is  some  prospect  that  some- 
thing might  conceivably  come  of  our  efforts. 

Christian  union  in  some  form  is  coming,  and  we,  who 
have  been  leaders  in  preparing  for  it,  will  do  well  still  to 
guide  in  its  development.  A  discussion  of  these  questions 
does  not  belong  to  this  volume,  further  than  to  say  what 
needs  to  be  said,  that  union  will  follow  lines  of  least  re- 
sistance when  it  proceeds  along  lines  of  historic  kinship  in 
polity  and  in  working  ideals. 


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474         THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

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476         THE    LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

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478        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

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INDEX    OF    AUTHORITIES    QUOTED 


Adams,  Zabdiel:   Ministerial  veto,  136. 

Alford,  Henry:    Bishop  and  presbyter  identical,  68. 

Allen,  A.  V.  G.:    Ecclesiastical  evolution,  76. 

Ainsworth,  Henry:  Library  of  prophesying,  218;  ordination  by 
peoples,  222;  excommunication,  327. 

Anderson,  Asher:  Force  and  freedom,  33;  local  church,  inde- 
pendent, 136. 

Apologetical  Narrative:    Prayer  book  not  sinful,  369. 

Aristotle:   Three  kinds  of  government,  6,  7. 

Augustine:    Lists  of  bishops,  112. 

Backus,  Isaac:   Ordination,  211. 

Bacon,  Leonard:  Church  and  civil  government,  9;  in  Boston  Plat- 
form, 15;  apostles  not  local  officers,  64. 

Bacon,  Leonard  Woolsey:  The  Christian  Connection,  40;  other 
denominations  Congregationalized,  42;  the  Church  not  a  club, 
151;  Saybrook  Platform,  293;  who  may  baptize,  355. 

Balch,  W.:    Ministers  in  council,  264. 

Barrowe,  Henry:    Ordination  by  the  people,  221. 

Bartlet,  J.  Vernon:  Plural  Episcopate,  80;  relations  of  pastor  and 
people,  255. 

Bartlett,  William:    Freedom  and  fellowship,  41. 

Barton,  William  E.:    Tri-church  union,  453,  454. 

Beecher,  H.  W.,  as  a  Calvinist,  378. 

Bellarmine:    Definition  of  a  church,  103. 

Best,  Nolan  R.:    Democracy  and  efficiency,  22. 

Bibliotheca  Sacra:    Twentieth  Century  Congregationalism,  464. 

Boston  Platform  of  1865:  Autonomy  and  fellowship,  15;  the  uni- 
versal church,  44;  ministers  without  pastoral  charge,  233; 
quorum  of  council,  265;  pastor  and  delegates,  269;  installation, 
250. 

Boynton,  George  M.:  Congregational  principle,  15;  current  Con- 
gregationalism, 98;  definition  of  a  church,  102;  pastor  as  moder- 
ator, 135;  136;  parliamentary  law  and  church  meetings,  138;  con- 
ditions of  church  membership,  149;  good  standing  of  church 
members,  161;  termination  of  membership,  163;  qualifications 
of  voting  members,  167;  office  of  deacon,  174;  affiliated  organi- 
zations, 192;  Sunday  school  a  part  of  church,  193;  women's 
societies,  195;  preparation  for  the  ministry,  197;  licensure,  199; 
ministerial  standing,  227;  hearing  candidates,  236;  installation, 
249;  termination  of  pastorate,  251;  legal  rights  of  minister,  253; 
ecclesiastical  councils,  257;  fellowship  of  the  church,  258;  no 
council  for  licensure,  271;  limitation  of  council,  272;  deposition 
of  a  minister,  314;  advantages  of  a  permanent  body,  318;  minis- 
terial standing  and  the  Year  Book,  339;  church  censure,  348; 
infant  baptism,  351;  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  359; 
invitation  to  the  table,  360;  Congregational  creeds,  389;  the 
church  covenant,  393. 

Boynton,  Nehemiah:   Church  union,  453;  unappropriated  areas,  462. 

liradford,  William:   The  Pilgrim  church,  21;  Pilgrim  state,  22. 


480        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Bradshaw,  W.:  No  authority  above  local  church,  258;  no  Jewish 
jurisdiction  over  local  churches,  279. 

Briggs,  Charles  A.:    Slender  basis  of  Episcopal  claim,  470. 

Brinton,  Daniel  G.:    Ecclesia  in  primitive  religions,  52. 

Brown,  Bishop  Wm.  M.:    Church  unity,  44. 

Browne,  Robert:  Priesthood  of  believers,  12;  church  independent 
of  state,  27-28;  official  tyranny,  97;  the  church  and  its  officers, 
109. 

Buck,  Daniel:   Church  covenant,  394. 

Burrage,  Champlin:    Church  covenant,  394. 

Burton,  Chas.:    History  of  home  mission,  439. 

Burton,  H.:    No  creed  tests,  301;  sufficiency  of  covenant,  394. 

Calhoun,  John  C:    Necessity  of  government,  4. 

Calkins,  Raymond:    The  message  of  Congregationalism,  451. 

Calvin,  John:    Bishops  and  presbyters  identical,  68. 

Cambridge  Platform  of  1648:  Church  government,  4;  polity,  5; 
Congregational  name,  18;  church  action  and  common  sense,  29; 
the  name  independent  disapproved,  41;  church  government  in 
the  Word  of  God,  97;  definition  of  a  church,  102;  the  church 
visible  and  invisible,  105;  the  Catholic  church,  112;  number 
necessary  to  a  church,  114;  examination  for  church  membership, 
156;  w^eak  in  faith  to  be  received,  157;  dismission  of  church 
members,  161;  dismissed  member  remains  a  member,  166;  offi- 
cers not  absolutely  necessary,  172;  duties  of  deacons,  174;  power 
to  dismiss  officers,  179;  ordination,  209;  lay  ordinati  n,  215  and 
216;  no  indelibility  of  orders,  223;  pastor  and  teacher,  244;  power 
of  the  congregation,  247;  church  free  to  act,  254;  conferences 
or  synods,  292;  "The  Third  Way,"  302;  ministerial  authority, 
305;  church  discipline,  331;  the  church  covenant,  393. 

Campbell,  Alexander:    Polity  of  Disciples,  39.x 

Carpenter,  Edmund  J.:  Quotations  from  addresses  at  dedication 
Pilgrim  Monument,  23. 

Carter,  C.  Sydney:    Episcopal  orders,  469. 

Century  Dictionary:    Definition  of  Congregationalism,  10. 

Chauncey,  Isaac:  Church  before  its  officers,  109;  majority  vote 
constitutes  church  action,  137;  church  deserters,  162;  members 
departing  to  non-communion,  165;  pastor  a  member  of  the 
church,  236;  pastor  and  teacher,  244. 

Choate,  Rufus:    Pilgrim  government,  24. 

Churchman,  Linden:    Episcopal  church  and  Protestant  orders,  469. 

Clark,  Joseph  S.:    Varying  usage  in  licensure,  199. 

Clarke,  Dorus:    Congregational  antiquity,  20. 

Clay,  W.  L.:    Worship  must  be  natural,  369. 

Clemen,  Carl  von:    Synagogue  and  church,  57. 

Cobb,  Wm.  H.:    Congregational  name,  18. 

Colemjm,  Lyman:  Primitive  church  democratic,  58;  the  local 
church,  63. 

Confession  of  1680:    Christian  liberty,  382. 

Cotton,  John:  Name  Congregational,  17;  two  kinds  of  officers,  66; 
the  office  of  a  deacon,  175;  widows  and  deaconesses,  176;  call  of 
a  pastor,  237;  councils  and  synods,  257;  associations,  292;  min- 
ister administers  Lord's  Supper,  359;  liberty  of  conscience,  379, 
380;  the  church  covenant,  394. 


INDEX    OF   AUTHORITIES    QUOTED  481 

Cummings,  Preston:  Apostles  not  ecclesiastical  rulers,  65;  dis- 
banding a  church,  125;  ministerial  veto,  136;  church  membership, 
156,  157;  licensure,. 198;  women's  rights,  220;  pastor  and  teacher, 
244;  appeals,  274;  councils  and  churches,  280;  origin  of  associa- 
tions, 295;  consociations,  297;  excommunication,  337;  minister 
administers  sacraments,  358;  Puritan  objection  to  funerals,  376; 
platforms  and  confessions,  Zll',  confessions,  their  use  and  abuse, 
379. 

Cyprian:  Origin  of  the  episcopate,  80. 

Dale,  Robert  W.:  Democracy  in  church  affairs,  12;  the  will  of 
Christ,  13;  the  Congregational  name,  18;  Congregationalists  and 
Independents,  41;  no  central  government  in  primitive  church, 
63;  permanence  and  flexibility  of  organization,  101;  creed  sub- 
scription not  required,  170;  ruling  elders,  239;  a  minister's  faith, 
380;  authority  of  creeds,  389;  doctrinal  errors  not  ground  for 
expulsion,  391. 

Davenport,  John:  Weak  in  faith  must  be  received,  152;  minister 
and  ordination,  213;  ordination  by  the  people,  222;  ministers 
subject  to  churches,  247;  authority  of  councils,  279;  covenant 
constitutes  the  church,  392;  church  covenant,  394. 

Davidson,  Samuel:  Bishops  and  deacons,  67;  who  may  baptize, 
354;  deacon  may  administer  Lord's  Supper,  358. 

Davis,  Meredith:  Congregational  ideal,  11;  Lordship  of  Christ,  11- 
12;  adjustment  to  changed  conditions,  30-31;  the  sacrament  of 
common  worship,  364;  popular  sovereignity  and  representative 
unity,  455;  ideal  not  yet  realized,  463. 

Davis,  Ozora  S.:    The  message  of  Congregationalism,  422. 

De  Forest,  Herman  P.:  The  association,  our  one  ecclesiastical 
body,  292. 

Denney,  James:   The  Church  from  Jesus,  54. 

Dexter,  Henry  M.:  Congregational  law,  2;  Congregational  prin- 
ciples, 10;  machinery  and  manhood,  16;  freedom  and  strength, 
29-30;  Congregationalism  in  Catholicism,  42;  New  Testament 
local  churches,  55;  definition  of  a  church,  102;  rights  of  minor- 
ity, 124;  propounding  candidates,  155;  dismission  of  members, 
161;  no  general  letters  of  dismission,  164;  dismission  to  churches 
not  in  fellowship,  164;  dropping  members,  165;  status  of  dis- 
missed members,  167;  how  to  vacate  church  offices,  179;  parish 
system,  186;  rules  for  parish,  187;  liberty  of  organization,  193; 
the  pastoral  office,  235;  ruling  elders,  240;  legal  rights  of  a  min- 
ister, 253;  who  may  call  a  council,  261;  council  not  a  court,  273; 
ex-parte  council,  284;  associations,  289;  conferences,  290;  min- 
isterial terminates  with  pastorate,  306;  deposition  of  a  minister, 
314,  316;  discipline  in  public  offenses,  337;  ministerial  standing, 
339;  who  may  baptize,  354;  world  moves  toward  democracy, 
450;  Congregationalism  the  mother  of  the  nation,  455. 

Didache,  or  Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles:  Second  century 
apostles,  82;  Christian  baptism,  350;  the  Lord's  Supper,  357. 

Dunning,  A.  E.:   Gradual  development  of  church  organizations,  98. 

Dupuy,  Geo.  A.:    Marriage  Laws  of  Illinois,  205. 

Durel,  J.:    Bishop  an  elder  brother,  86. 

Dwight,  Timothy:    Duty  of  church  to  guilty  member,  334. 

Eddy,  Richard:    Universalists,  38. 

Eliot,  C.  W.:   The  Mayflower  Compact,  23. 


482        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Emmons,  Nathaniel:  Church  visible  and  invisible,  105;  visible 
members  of  a  church,  149;  right  of  church  to  determine  condi- 
tions of  membership,  151;  power  to  dismiss  officers,  180;  ordina- 
tion, 211,  216;  church  installs  officers,  254;  authority  of  councils, 
274;  the  church  covenant,  393. 

Encyclopedia  Biblia:    Primitive  churches,  53. 

Encyclopedia  Britannica:    Ecclesiastical  evolution,  76. 

Ernst,  C.  W.:    Congregational  name,  18. 

Fairbairn,  A.  M.:    Democracy  as  spiritual  solidarity,  405. 

Farrar,  Thomas:   Ancient  precedents,  95. 

Foy,  Joseph  H.:    Disciples  creed,  40. 

Fuller,  Andrew:   Administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  359. 

Geldart,  W.  M.:    Law  and  laws,  2. 

Gibbons,  Cardinal  James:    Roman  theory  of  the  church,  89. 

Gladden,  Washington:    Church  union,  453. 

Goodwin,  Thomas:  Organization  of  a  church  without  a  council, 
121;  ordination  by  ministers,  216;  pastor  and  teacher,  244; 
church  covenant,  393. 

Gore,  Bishop  Charles:   Validity  of  Protestant  orders,  468. 

Hadley,  Arthur  T.:    Congregational  democracy,  26. 

Hale,  Edward  Everett:  Local  autonomy,  13;  Man  without  a  Coun- 
try, 107;  independence  of  opinion,  391. 

Hall,  Chas.  Cuthbert:    The  doom  of  leadership,  245. 

Hall,  Robert:  Church  may  not  set  arbitrary  terms  for  membership, 
153;  open  communion,  361. 

Hanbury,  Benjamin:  Councils  and  appeals,  274;  Roman  Catholic 
baptisms,  355. 

Harnack,  Adolf:  Development  of  church  law,  9;  the  word  church, 
54;  James,  the  brother  of  Jesus,  67,  77-78;  Luther's  Congrega- 
tionalism, 75;  bishop  and  presbyter,  80,  81,  83;  monarchical 
episcopate,  85;  gradual  development  of  ecclesiastical  law,  100; 
the  celestial  church,  105. 

Harrison,  R.:    Lay  ordination,  216. 

Hasting's  Dictionary  o£  Religion  and  Ethics:  Name  Congrega- 
tional, 18. 

Hatch,  Edwin:  Permanent  factors  in  re-organization,  47;  church 
and  Gentile  organizations,  59-60;  bishop  and  presbyter,  68; 
bishop  not  originally  an  ecclesiastical  office,  71. 

Haven,  Judge:    In  Dedham  case,  279. 

Hazen,  Henry  A.:    Future  of  ecclesiastical  councils,  286. 

Heermance,  Edgar  L.:  The  right  of  development,  3;  democratic 
responsibility,  25;  church  and  state,  27;  church  founded  on 
Christ,  55;  freedom  of  development,  100;  conditions  of  a  church, 
103;  ministry  a  rank  of  service,  172;  theory  of  ministry,  207; 
liberties  of  churches  secure,  318. 

Henson,  H.  H.:    Bishop  not  originally  an  ecclesiastical  officer,  71; 

the  primitive  church,  92. 
Herring,  Hubert  C:   Congregational  ideals,  17;  faith  and  works  of 
Congregationalism,  33;   Congregational  statistics,  36;  the  posi- 
tive message  of  Congregationalism,  404;  control  of  missionary 
societies,  449. 
Higginson,  Francis:    Salem  covenant,  394. 
Higginson,  John:   Fidelity  to  Pilgrim  principles,  24. 
Hill,  Hamilton  A.:   Bible  reading  in  Old  South,  368. 


INDEX   OF   AUTHORITIES    QUOTED 483 

Hiscox,  Edward  T.:  Baptist  polity,  38;  definition  of  a  church,  103; 
church  cannot  control  conscience  of  members,  170;  pastor's 
authority,  255;  few  ideal  pastorates,  255. 

Hodges,  Dean  George:    Origin  of  episcopate,  80. 

Hooker,  Richard:  Necessity  of  church  government,  4;  church 
polity,  5;  church  before  its  officers,  109;  representative  govern- 
ment, 452. 

Hooker,  Thomas:  Congregational  name,  19;  conditions  of  member- 
ship, 156;  rejection  of  church  applicants,  158;  ordination,  210, 
211. 

Hooper,  Bishop  John:    Episcopal  succession,  88. 

Hopkins,  Samuel:  The  Church  of  Christ,  114;  government  by 
majority,  137. 

Hort,  F.  J.  A.:  Promotion  of  deacons,  180. 

Horton,  Robert  F.:  How  churches  began,  57;  bishop  in  local 
church,  81;  Ignatian  theory,  86;  Catholicism  not  catholic,  90. 

Howe,  John:    Open  communion,  362. 

Hutchinson,  Governor  Thomas:  Efifectiveness  of  Congregational- 
ism, 30-31;  churches  and  councils,  279. 

Inge,  Wm.  Ralph:  The  tyranny  of  precedent,  3, 

Jacob,  G.  A.:  Church  began  at  Pentecost,  54;  bishops  of  Rome, 
112;  who  may  baptize,  354. 

Jacob,  Henry:  Definition  of  a  church,  103;  the  organized  church, 
104;  liberty  of  prophesying,  218;  covenant  of  1606,  394. 

Johnson,  Captain  Edward:  The  Woburn  ordination,  214;  the 
Woburn  covenant,  391. 

Ignatius:    Origin  of  episcopate,  81-90. 

Irenaeus:  The  episcopate,  80;  list  of  Roman  bishops,  112. 

Jefferson,  Charles  E.:    Congregationalism  and  liberty,  422. 

Jerome:    Testimony  as  to  presbyters,  87. 

Johnson,  Francis:    Roman  Catholic  baptism,  355. 

Justin,  Martyr:    Early  Christian  worship,  366. 

Keep,  John:    Liberty  of  prophesying,  218. 

Knox,  John:    The  universal  church,  63. 

Ladd,  George  T.:  Sacredness  of  personality,  12-13;  influence  of 
Congregationalism,  30-31;  principles  and  growth,  100;  regen- 
erate church  membership,  149;  the  individual  church  member, 
150;  conditions  of  church  membership,  152;  ordination,  210,  216; 
right  of  church  to  a  doctrinal  statement,  238;  pastor  and  people, 
247;  authority  of  councils,  273;  ministerial  discipline,  340. 

Laud,  Archbishop  William:    Protestantism  not  negative.  111. 

Lawrence,  Bishop  William:    Fidelity  of  church  treasurers,  178. 

Leachford,  Thomas:  The  gathering  of  churches,  121;  majority  and 
unanimity,  137. 

Leo  XIII,  Pope:   Denied  validity  of  Anglican  orders,  470. 

Lightfoot,  John  B.:    No  sacerdotal  system  in  New  Testament,  65. 

Lindsay,  T.  M.:  Church  and  Gentile  organizations,  59;  ordination 
and  authority,  210. 

Littledale,  R.  F.:    Successors  of  Peter,  83. 

Lodge,  Henry  Cabot:    The  Mayflower  Compact,  23. 

Loisy,  Alfred:    Church  militant  and  triumphant,  105. 

Luther,  Martin:  Bishops  and  presbyters,  68;  his  belief  in  Congre- 
gationalism, 75. 

Macfayden,  D.:   Power  of  adaptation,  100, 


484        THE    LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL    USAGE 

Mackenzie,  William  Douglas:     Church  union,  453. 
Mather,  Increase:    Congregational  polity,  5;  Congregational  name, 
19;   ministerial   veto,   136;   admission   of   church   members,   157; 
minister  everywhere  a  minister,  213;   laymen  and  ministers  in 
council,  269,  270;  the  permanence  of  our  principles,  349. 
Mather,  Richard:    The  force  of  reason,  29;  permanence  of  church 
government,  101;  conditions  of  church  membership,   155;  right 
to  refuse  members,  158;  ordination,  211;  ordination  by  elders, 
222;  appeal  in  church  discipline,  274;  no  creed  tests,  301;  free 
from  bondage  to  "stinted  liturgy,"  370. 
Mather,  Cotton:    Pastors  weve  bishops,  67;  admission  of  church 
members,  157;  deaconesses,  176;  licensure,  198;  ordination,  210; 
ordination   and    vocation,   218;    indelibility   of    orders,    224;   re- 
ordination,  226;  call  of  a  pastor,  237;  pastor  and  teacher,  244; 
ex-parte  council,  284;  no  creed  tests,  301;  ministerial  standing, 
339;  order  and  worship,  349;  open  communion,  362;  Christ  made 
no  prayer  book,  369;  Puritan  funerals,  376. 
Mather,  Samuel:    Ordination,  211;  pastors  and  lay  delegates,  264; 
force  of  council  decree^,  273;  administration  of  Lord's  Supper, 
358;  platforms  and  confessions,  377. 
McGiffert,  Arthur  C:    Growth  of  organization,  56. 
McKenzie,  Alexander:   A  Congregational  nation,  36. 
Milton,  John:    Apostles  did   not  rule   churches,  64;   the  universal 
church,  104;  assent  to  church  covenant,  156;  liberty  of  prophe- 
sying, 218;  laying  on  of  hands,  221. 
Mitchell,  John:   Congregationalism  and  creeds,  29;  rights  of  exam- 
ination, 156;  platforms  and  confessions,  377. 
Morrison,  Charles  C:    Disciples  and  Congregationalists,  39;  trend 

of  Disciples  and  Baptists  practice,  50. 
Morton,  Nathaniel:  The  Salem  covenant,  394. 
Mosheim,  Johann  L.:  Who  may  baptize,  354. 
Nash,  Charles  Sumner:  Majority  and  unanimity,  138;  ministerial 
leadership,  207;  the  ministry  as  a  business,  208;  pastoral  theory 
inadequate,  213;  ministerial  leadership,  245;  pastors  lead,  not 
rule,  248;  council  a  court  of  last  resort;  274;  inadequacy  of  con- 
ciliary  system,  285;  the  association,  292;  organization  from  be- 
low, 294;  associations  not  for  state  work,  298;  local  church  the 
unit,  299;  minister  in  association,  305;  local  church  does  not 
ordain,  310;  associations  may  ordain,  311;  church  the  vital  unit, 
318;  church  composes  higher  bodies,  322;  associational  member- 
ship a  necessity,  340;  the  churches  constitute  the  council,  401; 
representative  democracy,  451. 
Nationzil  Council  Reports:  Basic  Congregational  principle,  10; 
Congregational  name,  17;  unity,  43;  educational  program  of  the 
church,  196;  right  of  association  to  depose,  230;  ministerial 
standing,  209;  incorporation  of  state  conference,  324;  right  of 
churches  to  withdraw  fellowship,  340;  organization  of  National 
Council,  401;  faith,  polity  and  fellowship.  410;  alternates  and 
substitutes,  414;  purpose  of  Council,  414;  corporation,  415;  con- 
stitution, 423;  by-laws,  426;  consolidation  of  benevolent  soci- 
eties, 435,  436,  444,  445;  representative  government,  455;  the 
larger  autonomy,  463. 
Neal,  Daniel:  Congregational  ordination,  223;  no  authority  over 
local  church,  258. 


INDEX    OF   AUTHORITIES    QUOTED 485 

Neander,  J.  A.  W.:  Bishops  same  as  elders,  67;  who  may  baptize, 
354. 

Northrup,  Cyrus:    Need  of  denominational  leadership,  404. 

Noyes,  James:    Councils  and  synods,  257. 

Owen,  John:    Minister  everywhere  a  minister,  224. 

Oxford  Dictionary:    Name  Congregational,  18. 

Pardee,  J.  N.:   The  parish  or  society,  182. 

Philpot,  Bishop:    Episcopal  succession,  88. 

Parks,  Leighton:    Episcopal  practice,  470. 

Pliny:    Christian  worship,  365. 

Plummer,  Alfred:    The  early  British  Church,  80. 

Punchard,  George:  Definition  of  a  church,  102;  majority  and 
unanimity,  138. 

Quint,  Alonzo  H.:  Boston  Platform,  15;  Congregational  name,  17; 
local  church  and  larger  fellowship,  213;  councils  and  civil 
courts,  280;  no  church  or  minister  independent,  319;  freedom 
from  creed  tests,  388;  organization  of  national  council,  401. 

Ramsay,  William  M.:    Bishop  and  presbyter  identical,  68. 

Renan,  Ernest:    Influence  of  the  brothers  of  the  Lord,  77-78. 

Report  of  Commission  of  Nineteen  on  Polity,  Kansas  City,  1913: 
443,  444. 

Robert,  Henry  M.:   Right  to  eject  an  intruder,  146. 

Robinson,  J.  A.:    The  word  church,  53. 

Robinson,  John:  Protest  against  name  Brownist,  20;  democracy 
in  church  government,  25;  sowing  and  reaping,  32;  union  not 
division,  44;  faith  and  progress,  45;  definition  of  a  church,  102; 
one  church  and  many,  104;  the  egg  and  the  bird,  109;  composi- 
tion of  a  church,  114;  church  fellowship,  150;  baptism  by  an 
unlawful  minister,  355;  baptism,  361;   church   covenant,  394. 

Ross,  A.  Hastings:  Local  church  independent,  13;  the  Congrega- 
tional theory,  16;  synagogue  congregational,  57;  the  Congre- 
gational principle,  100;  kingdom  and  the  church,  108;  church 
not  a  voluntary  society,  110;  papal  theory  Greek,  not  Roman, 
112;  ministerial  veto,  136;  regenerate  membership,  149;  five 
conditions  of  membership,  149;  officers  should  be  guides,  172; 
duties  of  clerk,  177;  licentiates  not  ministers,  198;  ministry  and 
laity,  207;  local  ordination,  211;  right  to  preach,  218;  ordination 
not  inauguration  into  pastorate,  219;  decline  of  installation,  250; 
who  may  call  a  council,  261;  usurpation  of  Saybrook  Platform, 
293;  associations  may  ordain  and  depose,  312;  withdrawal  of 
fellowship,  317,  341;  ministerial  standing,  339. 

Royce,  Josiah:  Life  of  the  Christian  ecclesia,  53;  Christ  and  the 
Church,  61. 

Sabatier,  Auguste:  Apostolic  succession,  82. 

Sanderson,  John  P.:  Main  lines  of  Congregational  re-organization, 
458;  an  inconsistency  partially  remedied,  462. 

Savoy  Confession:  Ordination,  221;  minister  administers  Lord's 
Supper,  358;  unlawfulness  of  creed  tests,  379. 

Saybrook  Platform:  Qualifications  of  licentiates,  199;  establish- 
ment of  consociations,  293. 

Schubert,  Hans  von:    Origin  of  Episcopate,  80. 

Schaff,  Philip:  Synagogue  and  church,  58;  every  congregation  a 
church,  66;  apostolic  succession,  83. 

Selbie,  W.  B.:    International  Councils,  35. 


486        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Sewall,  Joseph:    Public  reading  of  Scripture  in  Boston,  368. 

Sewall,  Samuel:    Record  of  public  scripture  reading  in  Boston,  367. 

Smith,  Chief  Justice:    Decision  on  Universalism,  38. 

Smith,  William:    Ecclesia  in  Athens  and  Sparta,  52. 

Sohm,  Rudolph:  The  Christian  in  the  church,  61;  invisible  and 
visible  churches,   105. 

Stiles,  Ezra:  Churches  and  councils,  279;  church  may  reject  advice, 
280;  origin  of  associations,  295. 

Stillingfleet,  Edward:  Church  must  receive  whom  Christ  receives, 
152. 

Stimson,  Henry  A.:    Twentieth  century  Congregationalism,  464. 

Stoddard,  Solomon:    Local  church  and  larger  fellowship,  214. 

Teaching  of  the  Twelve  Apostles:    See  Didache. 

TertuUian:  Lists  of  bishops,  112;  who  may  baptize,  354;  on  Chris- 
tian worship,  366. 

Thompson,  W.:    Councils  and  appeals,  274. 

Toy,  Crawford  H.:  The  church  the  product  of  Christ's  personality, 
54. 

True  Description  and  True  Confession  (declarations  of  the  Lon- 
don-Amsterdam church):  Local  autonomy,  14;  liberty  of 
prophesying,  218;  authority  of  creeds,  389. 

Trumbull,  B.:    Rise  of  consociations,  297. 

Unitarian  Handbook:  Our  common  heritage,  Zl\  ordination,  212; 
church  covenant,  378;  Puritan  covenant  unchanged,  392. 

Upham,  Thos.  C:  Conditions  of  church  membership,  152;  indi- 
viduals in  Council,  270;  origin  of  associations,  292;  creed  tests, 
379. 

Urban  I,  Pope:    Bishops  and  deacons,  67. 

Vernon,  Ambrose  W.:  On  Robert  Browne,  19;  religious  freedom, 
26-27;  danger  of  freedom,  29;  Congregational  spirit,  36;  the 
covenant  a  sacrament,  394;  spiritual  liberty,  450. 

Vibert,  W.  H.:    The  apostolic  Church,  92. 

Walker,  Williston:  Congregational  name,  18;  Congregationalism 
widespread,  36;  imparted  value  of  Congregationalism,  98. 

Ward,  William  Hayes:    Church  union,  452. 

Watts,  Isaac:  Government  by  majority,  137;  churches  not  prison, 
157;  terms  of  communion,  361. 

Welde,  T.:  Deacons  and  deaconesses,  176;  platforms  and  confes- 
sions, 377. 

White,  John:    Councils  and  churches,  280. 

Williams,  Bishop  Charles  D.:  The  word  Protestant,  109;  the  Holy 
Catholic  Church,  111. 

Williams,  John:    Baptism  by  savages,  355. 

Williams,  Roger:    Freedom  in  government  and  worship,  379. 

Wise,  John:  Democracy  in  church  government,  25;  ministers  may 
be  omitted  from  council  delegates,  264;  councils  and  appeals, 
214;  councils  and  churches,  280. 

Winslow,  Edward:  Quotes  John  Robinson,  20;  union  not  division, 
44. 

Winthrop,  John:  Conditions  of  Church  membership,  156;  the 
Woburn  ordination,  215. 

Winthrop,  Robert  C:    Effectiveness  of  Congregational  system,  31. 

Wycklif,  John:    Bishops  and  presbyters  identical,  68. 


INDEX   OF  SUBJECTS 

Absent  Members:  the  right  to  vote,  147;  duty  of  church  to,  169. 

Acting  pastor,  242. 

Adaptation:    power  of,  100.  . 

Advisory  Committee:   of  association,  118;  its  normal  functions,  319. 

Albany  Convention,  399. 

Alexandria,  Bishop  of,  87. 

Alternates:   in  National  Council  delegation,  412. 

American  Bible  Society,  434. 

American  Board,  24,  434,  438. 

American  Congregational  Association,  443. 

American  Doctrinal  Tract  Society,  441. 

American  Education  Society,  438. 

American  Home  Missionary  Society,  434. 

American  Tract  Society,  434. 

Annual  Meetings:  their  presiding  officer,  136;  rules,  140;  business, 
141. 

Annuity  Fund,  446. 

Antiquity,  Congregational,  20. 

Apostles:  Did  they  rule  the  churches,  63;  their  successors,  81;  in 
second  century,  84;  doctrine  of  succession,  95,  112;  how  far  their 
organization  a  pattern,  97;  Episcopal  claim  of  succession  denied 
by  Rome,  470. 

Apostles'  Creed:    not  written  by  apostles,  382. 

Appeal:    to  Council,  274. 

Approbation  to  preach,  196-207. 

Assent  to  Creed,  not  required,  170. 

Assistant  pastor,  242. 

Assistants:   general  term  for  salaried  church  workers,  176. 

Association  of  churches:  and  church  organization,  121;  and  licen- 
sure, 200;  and  ministerial  standing,  227-231;  may  ordain,  229,  301; 
may  depose,  230,  301;  may  call  council,  260;  composed  of 
churches  and  ministers,  289;  origin  of,  292;  not  a  voluntary 
body,  294;  not  a  menace  to  local  autonomy,  294;  has  custody 
of  ministerial  standing,  296;  church  may  unite  and  withdraw, 
299;  shall  ministers  vote,  304;  may  incorporate,  308;  may  not 
license,  309;  increase  of  power,  317;  may  act  as  council,  327. 

Associations  of  ministers:  289;  origin,  292,  295;  relation  to  associ- 
ation of  churches,  295. 

Athanasian  Creed:    not  written  by  Athanasius,  382. 

Authority:  and  church  organization,  112;  civil  in  church  matters, 
132;  of  lists  of  bishops,  112;  pastoral,  245. 

Autonomy:   of  local  church,  10,  13-14,  15;  larger  than  local,  130. 

Ballot:    may  one  person  cast,  147. 

Baptism:  to  whom  administered,  349;  in  what  form,  349;  in  early 
church,  350;  of  infants,  351;  of  dying  children,  352;  who  may 
administer,  352. 

Baptist  churches:    polity  of,  38;  possible  union  with,  471. 

Believers:    priesthood  of,  10,  11. 

Bible  Reading:   in  early  church,  366;  in  Boston  and  Salem,  367. 

Bible  Society,  34,  192. 


488        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Bishop:   originally  a  secular  office,  70-71. 

Bishops:   and  elders,  66-72;  and  presbyters,  66-72;  first  distinction 

between,  80. 
Body  of  Christ:   in  Lord's  Supper,  360;  in  church,  364. 
Boston:    First  Church  covenant,  392, 
Boston  Council  of  1865,  399. 
Brattle  Street  Church:  Bible  reading  in,  368. 
Brethren  of  the  Lord:   their  place  in  the  church  in  JerusaltxTi,  71, 

77-78. 
Brotherhood:   organization  of  men,  195. 
Browne,  Robert:    and  early  Congregationalism,  19. 
Building:    not  the  church,  108. 
Burial  Hill  Confession,  400,  405,  406,  408. 
Business:    Conduct  of  church,  130;  at  special  meetings,  134. 
Call:   to  preach,  197;  to  pastorate,  235. 
Calvinism:    as  Calvin  would  interpret  it  now,  378. 
Cambridge  Platform:    397. 
Cambridge  Synod,  396,  461. 
Candidates:    for  ministry,  197. 
Catholic  Church:   Roman,  112. 
Catholic  Church:    the  Holy,  111. 
Change  and  Progress,  2. 
Charter  Membership:    of  Church,  120. 
Chicago:    Tri-ennial    Convention,    399;    Pilgrim    Convention,    400; 

Council  of  1886,  403,  417;  tri-church  union,  453. 
Child:    Advice  against  parent's  will,  248. 
Choir:   minister  and,  241. 

Christ:    lordship  of,  11;  will  of,  in  church  government,  13. 
Christian  Connection:    Polity  of,  40. 
Christian  Endeavor  Societies,  192. 
Christmas:    observance  of,  il2. 
Church:    government,  4-6;   forms  of,  6-8;   autonomy  of  local,  10, 

13-14;  without  bishop,  24;  and  state  in  Congregationalism,  27-28; 

meaning  of  the  word,   51;  use  of  secular  institutions,  53;   the 

New  Testament,  54;   did  Jesus  use  word,  55;  and  temple,  56; 

and  synagogue,  57;  and  Gentile  organizations,  58;  social  ideal, 

60;  permanence,  101;  definition,   102;  visible  and  invisible,  104; 

militant  and  triumphant,   105;  who  may  organize,  113;   how  to 

organize,  118;  how  to  disband,  123;  member  of  association,  299; 

withdrawal  of  fellowship  from,  301. 
Churches:    New  Testament,  how  founded,  62;  how  governed,  65. 
Church  Extension  Boards:   446. 
Citizenship:    and  Congregationalism,  25. 
Civil  government:    and  church  polity,  8-9. 
Clerk:    of  church,  duties  of,  177. 
Cleveland:    National  Council  of,  1907,  tri-church  union  discussion, 

453;  committee  on  polity,  463. 
Club:    church  not  a,  151. 
Collegiate  pastor:    242. 
Committee:    on  church  membership,  154. 
Commission  of  Nineteen,  409,  443. 
Commission  on  Missions,  443,  445. 
Compass:    not  weathercock,  1. 


INDEX   OF   SUBJECTS 


Conference:  may  call  council,  260;  Dexter's  definition,  290;  not 
composed  of  delegates  from  association,  321;  does  not  hold 
ministerial  standing,  321;  does  not  entertain  appeal,  122;  may 
incorporate,  324;  relation  to  Home  Missionary  Society,  324. 

Confessions:  London,  14,  15;  of  1648,  384;  of  1680,  384;  Burial  Hill 
384;  of  1883,  384;  Kansas  City,  1913,  385;  the  Dayton,  385,  409. 

Congregational:  significance  of  the  term,  17;  early  uses,  17-19; 
law,  1;  polity,  6;  compared  with  other  governments,  7;  consti- 
tutive principle,  10;  ideal,  11-16;  theory,  16;  name,  17;  antiquity,  20. 

Congregational  Board  of  Ministerial  Relief,  442,  446. 

Congregational  Church  Building  Society,  442,  444,  446. 

Congregational  Education  Society,  434,  436,  444,  447. 

Congregational  Home  Missionary  Society,  434,  439,  444,  445,  446. 

Congregationalism:  defined,  15;  what  it  stands  for,  24;  not  a  per- 
fect system,  30;  effectiveness,  31,  32;  influence  on  other  denom- 
inations, 31,  41;  size,  35;  progress,  44;  will  it  endure,  45;  and 
other  denominations,  87;  Biblical  authority,  98;  variety  of 
method,  121;  not  necessarily  provincial,  456;  continental  and 
catholic,  458. 

Congregational  League  of  Church  Assistants,  176. 

Congregational  Publishing  Society,  445. 

Congregational  Sunday  School  and  Publishing  Society,  441,  444,  446. 

Connecticut  Missionary  Society  and  Plan  of  Union,  421,  461;  con- 
sociation, 293. 

Consociation,  296;  origin,  297;  workings,  293. 

Constantine:    and  the  state  church,  8. 

Constitution  of  the  National  Council,  423. 

Corporation:    for  National  Council,  415,  457. 

Corporation:    Religious,  181;  its  limitations,  460. 

Council:  for  church  organization,  113;  for  ordination,  222;  packed, 
222;  for  dismission,  254;  pro  re  nata,  257;  function,  258;  who  may 
call,  258;  not  necessarily  from  vicinage,  262;  how  to  call,  262; 
organization,  265;  moderator,  266;  scribe,  267;  irregularity,  268; 
individual  members,  269;  not  for  licensure,  271;  may  examine 
when  not  invited,  271;  limitations,  272;  is  it  a  court,  273;  an 
appellate  body,  274;  sessions,  275;  vote,  277;  how  to  address, 
277;  finding,  278;  decision,  279;  standing  in  church  court,  280; 
classification,  281;  mutual,  282;  ex-parte,  284;  future,  286. 

Covenant:  basis  of  church  fellowship,  102;  service  of  newly  organ- 
ized church,  120;  assent,  157;  violation  of,  169;  constitutes  the 
church,  392;  a  third  sacrament,  393;  examples  of  early,  394. 

Creeds:  relation  to  polity,  8;  acceptance  for  substance  of  doctrine, 
28;  assent  not  required  for  church  membership,  170;  not  re- 
quired in  early  Congregationalism,  301;  Congregational,  377; 
how  to  be  interpreted,  378;  not  as  tests,  379;  ethics  of  subscrip- 
tion, 382;  of  the  National  Council,  384;  relation  to  the  Preamble, 
385;  in  local  church,  389;  rejection  of,  390;  relation  to  covenant. 
392. 

Dayton:    Confession,  385,  409;  tri-church  union,  453. 

Deaconess:  in  New  Testament,  175;  not  necessarily  the  wife  of 
a  deacon,  176;  in  New  England,  176;  name  not  popular,  176. 

Deacons:  were  laymen  in  primitive  church,  66;  became  lower  rank 
in  clergy,  74;  in  modern  church,  173;  duties  and  term  of  office, 
174;  installation,  176;  not  candidates  for  ministry,  180. 


490        THE   LAW    OF    CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Delegate:    to  ecclesiastical  council,  263;  to  National  Council,  412. 

Democracy:  in  church  affairs,  10,  12;  and  efficiency,  30-31;  a  spirit- 
ual solidarity,  405;  representative,  450,  455,  460. 

Denominations:  their  origin,  87,  93;  defined,  106;  becoming  Con- 
gregational, 108. 

Deposition:    from  the  ministry,  230,  311,  313. 

Des  Moines:    Council  of  1904,  419,  452. 

Development:   right  of,  3,  97. 

Diploma:    no  substitute  for  examination,  201. 

Disbanding:   of  church,  123. 

Disciples  of  Christ:   polity  of,  38;  possible  union  with,  401. 

Discipline:  in  local  church,  331;  of  lay  member,  331;  of  minister, 
331,  338;  how  administered,  333;  professional  counsel,  334;  in 
absence  of  offender,  336;  by  association,  341;  by  council,  346; 
not  by  state  conference,  346;  not  by  National  Council,  347. 

Disturber:   May  be  silenced,  146. 

Division:   of  a  church,  128. 

Divorce:    minister's  attitude  toward,  374. 

Doctrinal  Change:    ground  for  removal  from  pastorate,  248,  338. 

Doctrinal  Emphasis,  28. 

Doctrinal  Statement:   from  pastor,  238. 

Dropping  Members:    from  church  roll,  164. 

Duty:    neglect  of,  by  minister,  338. 

Easter:    communion  service,  363;  observance,  Z12. 

Ecclesia:  in  primitive  religions,  52;  in  Athens  and  Sparta,  52;  in 
New   Testament,   53. 

Ecclesiastical  Law,  8. 

Efficiency:   and  democracy,  30,  31. 

Elders:    and  bishops,  66-72;  ruling,  239. 

Episcopal:  government,  6-7;  and  other  denominations,  87;  system 
un-Scriptural,  91;  letters  to  other  churches,  168;  movements 
toward  union,  465-470;  validity  of  orders,  470;  ordination  and 
confirmation,  468-469;  claims  denied  by  Rome,  470. 

Episcopate:  historic,  12;  plural,  80;  monarchical,  80,  85-87;  succes- 
sion, 81,  82. 

Evangelical  Alliance,  34. 

Evangelist:    ordination  of,  219. 

Examination:   for  church  membership,  155;  for  pastorate,  271. 

Ex-parte  Council,  282. 

Faith:  what  constitutes,  157;  a  minister's,  381;  of  National  Council, 
410. 

Faith  and  Order:    World  Conference  on,  465,  466. 

Fast  Days:   112. 

Federal  Council:  34. 

Fellowship:  and  autonomy,  10,  14-15;  in  National  Council  Consti- 
tution, 411. 

Finding:   of  Council,  276-277. 

Fraud:    ordination  obtained  under,  222. 

Freedom:  religious,  26-28;  dangerous  but  desirable,  29-30;  and 
force,  33;  not  sacrificed  in  closer  organization,  451,  461. 

Funerals:  conduct  of  by  minister,  375;  by  layman,  376;  in  church 
building,  376. 

Garb:   distinctive  for  women  workers  not  favorable,  176. 


INDEX    OF   SUBJECTS 491 

General  Court:  called  synods  in  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut, 
461. 

Gentile  Organizations:    and  church,  458. 

Government:  in  state  and  church,  3;  necessity,  4;  kinds,  6,  7;  civil, 
8-9. 

Hands:   imposition  of,  220. 

Harvard  College:  founded,  24. 

Heresy:   in  Congregationalism,  380. 

Hiercurchy:   none  in  New  Testament  churches,  65. 

Holland:    Pilgrims  in,  21. 

Holy  Days,  372. 

Ignorance:   sometimes  an  essential  qualification,  95. 

Illinois:    Memorial  on  ministerial  standing,  230. 

Immersion:   a  form  of  baptism,  350. 

Immorality:   ground  for  removal  of  a  minister,  249,  338. 

Incorporation:    of  association,   308;    of   state   conference,  323;    of 

Indelibility  of  orders:   not  a  Congregational  doctrine,  223. 

Independency:   not  identical  with  Congregationalism,  40. 

Indijms:   instructed  to  baptize  infants  before  killing  them,  384. 

Irregular  action:   144. 

Installation:  of  deacons,  176;  other  officers,  177;  pastor,  249-251; 
not  re-ordination,  273. 

International  Council:   34-35. 

Intruder:   may  be  ejected,  145. 
National  Council,  415,  457. 

Jaunes:   the  brother  of  the  Lord,  71,  76-77. 

James  VI:   of  England,  9. 

Jud,  Roger:   withdrawal  from  Old  South,  168. 

Kansas  City:  Confession  of  Faith,  385;  National  Council  of  1913, 
420;  changes  in  missionary  societies,  444;  in  organization,  454. 

Kikuyu  Controversy,  467. 

Kingdom  of  heaven:   107. 

Law:  Congregational,  1;  and  laws,  2;  and  precedent,  3;  ecclesias- 
tical, 8;  development  of,  9,  100. 

Lay  preacher:   may  be  licensed,  201. 

Leadership:    ministerial,  245. 

Legal:    rights  of  minister,  253. 

Lent:  observance  of,  372. 

Letters:  of  dismission  and  recommendation,  156;  refusal  to  accept, 
158;  refusal  to  grant,  163;  to  whom  granted,  161;  to  organiza- 
tions out  of  fellowship,  164. 

Letters  Missive,  262. 

Liberty:   religious,  26-28. 

License:   to  solemnize  marriage,  375. 

Licensure:  to  preach,  197-206;  not  by  council,  271;  not  by  associa- 
tion, 309. 

Life:   the  Christian,  364. 

Liturgy:    in  Congregational  churches,  369. 

London  Confessions  quoted,  14,  15. 

Lord's  Supper:  its  institution,  356;  its  significance,  356;  in  early 
church,  357;  who  may  administer,  358;  mode  of  administration, 
359;  invitation  to,  360;  who  may  partake,  361;  kinds  of  bread  and 
wine  used,  362;  how  often  administered,  363;  special  communion 
season,  363. 

Lutheran  church,  87. 


492        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Luther,  Martin:   believed  in  Congregationalism,  75. 

Majority:   may  it  disband  a  church,  124;  and  minority,  137,  139. 

Manhood:    and  machinery,  16. 

Marriages:  may  licentiates  solemnize,  204;  the  minister  and,  374. 

Massachusetts  Sabbath  School  Union,  441. 

Massachusetts  Synod,  397,  461. 

Mayflower  Compact,  9,  396. 

Meetings:    call  of,  132,  133. 

Members:  their  duties  and  rights,  149;  examination  of,  155;  by 
letter,  156;  dismission  of,  163;  status  of  dismissed,  166;  partly 
withdrawn,  167;  dropping  of,  164. 

Membership:  basis  of,  150;  terms,  152;  how  secured,  153;  pro- 
pounding for,  155;  by  letter,  155;  examination,  156;  transfer, 
157;  duties,  158;  rights,  159;  termination,  162;  may  a  member 
demit,  162. 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church:  government  Presbyterian,  7,  87; 
influenced  by  Congregationalism,  42. 

Methodist  Protestant:    proposed  union,  452,  471. 

Metropolitan:   a  higher  bishop,  74. 

Michigan  City  Convention,  399. 

Midwives:   baptzied  dying  infants,  354. 

Minister:  fourfold  duties,  172;  retired,  233;  unworthy,  224;  deposi- 
tion, 230,  311,  313;  standing  in  association,  227,  303;  demitting, 
231;  vote  in  association,  304;  standing,  403. 

Ministry:  a  rank  of  service,  172;  work  of,  207-234;  and  laity,  207; 
how  to  enter,  208;  ordination,  209;  limited  ordination,  224;  of 
other  denominations,  225;  standing,  227,  403. 

Minority:    rights  of,  124,  127. 

Minors:    their  vote  in  church  business,  147. 

Missionary  chiurch:    and  self-government,  131. 

Missionary  societies:  may  not  ordain,  217;  their  organization, 
434-447;  consolidation  considered,  435;  recent  changes,  445. 

Moderator:  of  church  meeting,  135;  of  council,  266;  of  National 
council,  416. 

Mutual  Council,  282. 

National  Council:  on  basic  principle  of  Congregationalism,  10;  its 
origin,  395;  bodies  which  preceded,  395;  enlargement  of  power, 
403;  dates  and  places  of  meeting,  405;  doctrinal  basis,  405;  rela- 
tion to  churches,  411;  delegates,  411;  vacancies,  412;  alternates, 
412;  temporary  alternates,  414;  purpose,  414;  how  supported, 
415;  corporation,  415;  moderator,  416;  secretary,  420:  is  it  a 
menace,  420;  constitution,  423;  by-laws,  426. 

Neglect  of  duty:  ground  for  removal  from  pastorate,  249;  what 
constitutes,  338. 

New  Testament  churches:  self-governing,  20;  is  their  usage  deci- 
sive, 100. 

Newtowne  Synod,  396. 

New  West  Education  Commission:   439. 

Nicea:    Council  of,  87. 

Nicene  Creed:  382. 

Oberlin:    Declaration  on  Unity,  43;  National  Council  of  1871,  402. 

Officers:  in  Apostolic  church,  66;  in  modern  church,  108,  171;  are 
they  necessary,  172;  should  be  guides,  172;  deposition  of,  179. 

Old  South,  Boston:  Relations  with  Episcopal  church,  168;  Council 
of  1865,  271. 


INDEX    OF    SUBJECTS  493 

Ordinances:  may  licentiates  administer,  204;  how  administered, 
349;  who  may  administer,  354. 

Ordination:  defined,  209;  not  by  local  church,  211;  not  by  laymen, 
214;  may  be  on  Sunday,  216;  not  by  missionary  society,  217; 
does  not  create  right  to  preach,  217;  of  evangelists,  219;  of 
women,  219;  under  fraud,  222;  irregular  and  invalid,  222;  limited, 
224. 

Organizations:   affiliated,  192. 

Oxford  Movement,  92. 

Papacy:    its  evolution,  75. 

Papal  government,  6;  Greek,  not  Roman,  112. 

Parent:   ministerial  advice,  248. 

Parish:    legal  society,  182. 

Parliamentary  rules:   in  church  business,  138,  140. 

Pastor:  a  moderator  at  church  meetings,  135;  duties  of,  172;  what 
constitutes,  235;  how  called,  235;  member  of  the  church,  236; 
collegiate,  242;  assistant,  242;  acting,  242;  a  prophet,  244;  author- 
ity, 245;  legal  right,  253;  unworthy,  256. 

Pastor's  assistant:    defined,  242. 

Permanent  elements:    in  church  life,  47. 

Personality:    sacredness  of,  12-13. 

Peter:  authority  derived  from,  88;  was  he  the  rock,  80;  has  he  the 
power  of  the  keys,  91. 

Pilgrim  Convention,  400. 

Pilgrim  Fathers:    their  church  and  state,  20-24;  of  the  future,  458. 

Policy:    and  polity,  4. 

Polity:  and  kindred  words,  4;  church,  4-6;  and  politics,  4;  and 
ecclesiastical  law,  8;  and  creed,  8;  and  civil  government,  8-9;  in 
National  Council  constitution,  411. 

Portland,  Maine:    Council  of  1901,  418. 

Planets:    freedom  of,  29-30. 

Plan  of  Union,  421. 

Plymouth  Rock,  20. 

Prayer  book,  369. 

Prayer  meetings,  371. 

Prayer:    public,  368;  written  or  printed,  369. 

Prayer:    Week  of,  372. 

Preach:   call  to,  197;  right  to,  217. 

Preacher:    pastor  as,  243. 

Preaching:   in  public  worship,  370. 

Precedent:    tyranny  of,  3. 

Presbyterian  government,  7;  church,  87;  Scriptural  basis,  95;  Gen- 
eral Assembly,  461. 

Presbyters:    and  bishops,  66-72. 

Priesthood  of  believers,  10,  11. 

Progress:    Congregationalism  and,  44. 

Prophesying:    liberty  of,  218. 

Prophet:    pastor  as,  243. 

Provisional  Committee:   of  the  National  Council,  416. 

Protestantism:    defined,  110. 

Proxy  votes:    in  church  meetings,  143. 

Publicity:   in  church  trials,  347. 

Quoriun:    what  constitutes,  133;  of  Council,  264. 

Reasonableness:   of  Congregationalism,  29. 


494        THE   LAW    OF   CONGREGATIONAL   USAGE 

Records:    of  church  business,  141;  who  has  custody,  141;  oblitera- 
tion of,  142. 
Recognition:    of  church,  121;  of  pastor,  251. 
Reform:   attitude  of  the  church  toward,  373, 
Reforming  Synod,  397,  461. 

Relations  of  Jesus:   their  place  in  the  early  church,  11,  78. 
Religious  Education  Boards:    447. 
Reports:    at  church  meetings,  142. 
Representative  principle:    democratic,  450;   affirmed  by  National 

Council,  455. 
Rights:    of  members,  159;  of  minister,  253. 
Roman  Catholic  Church,  87;  baptism,  354,  355;  on  Anglican  claims, 

470. 
Rome:    elevation  of  its  bishopric,  75;  confusion  in  list,  112. 
Sabbath:    the  Christian,  371. 
Sacraments:    their   character,   349;    their   administration,   354;   the 

covenant,  a,  393-394;  of  common  worship,  364. 
St.  Louis:    National  Council  of  1880,  416. 
Salem:    Bible  reading  in,  367;  covenant,  392. 
Salvation:   and  the  church,  109. 
Savages:  baptism  by,  354. 
Saybrook  Platform,  398. 
Saybrook  Synod,  398,  461. 
Scribe:    of  council,  267. 
Scrooby  covenant,  20,  21,  392,  395. 
Se-baptism,  355. 

Secretary  of  National  Council,  420. 
Secret  meetings:   of  church,  145. 
Sectarian:    defined,  106. 
Simplicity:    how  the  church  lost,  74. 
Singing:    in  public  worship,  370. 
Social  ideal:   and  church,  360. 
Society,  Ecclesiastical:    history,  182;  relations  to  church,  185-187; 

reasons  for,  185;  powers  and  limitations,  186;  minister  and,  189; 

how  to  abolish,   189. 
Society  for  Promotion  of  Christian  Knowledge,  441. 
Society  for  Promotion  of  Collegiate  and  Theological  Education, 

439. 
Speaker:   of  House  of  Representatives,  need  not  be  a  member,  136. 
Sponsors:    in  baptism,  356. 
Standing:    good  and  regular  of  church  members,  161;  ministerial, 

how  secured,  221;  impaired,  221;  lost,  229;  in  district  association, 

227. 
State  and  church:   in  Congregationalism,  27-28,  461. 
Substitutes:   in  National  Council,  412,  413. 
Sunday  school,  193;   pastor's  place  in,   194;  constructive  program, 

196;  superintendent,  246. 
Supreme  Covurt:    on  authority  in  church  matters,  132;  and  Daniel 

Webster,  144. 
Synagogue:   and  church,  57. 
Syracuse:    Council  of  1895,  413. 
Teacher:   pastor  and,  243. 
Temple:    and  church,  56. 
Termination  of  pastorate,  251-254. 
Theological  Seminaries:   may  not  issue  license,  200. 


INDEX    OF    SUBJECTS  495 

Tract  Society,  34. 

Treasurer:   of  church,  177. 

Trials,  church:    how  conducted,  333;  professional  counsel,  334;  in 

absence  of  offender,  336;  of  criminal  member,  336;  of  minister, 

338;  in  private,  346;  by  council,  347;  publication  of  result,  347. 
Tri-Church  Union,  452. 
Trustees:    duties  of,  178. 
Trustees  of  National  Council,  436,  442. 
Union:    Congregational  attitude  toward,  43;  of  churches,  124;  tri- 

church,  452;  current  discussions,  466. 
Unitarian  churches:   polity  of,  36. 
United  Brethren:    proposed  union,  452,  471. 

United  States:    government  influenced  by  Congregationalism,  8-9. 
Unity,  Declaration  of,  408. 

Universalist  churches:  polity  of,  37;  not  a  sect,  38. 
Usage:   and  Law,  1. 

Vacancies:  in  National  Council  delegations,  412. 
Vacating  an  office,  179. 
Variety:    in  Congregationalism,  121. 
Veto:    pastoral,  136. 

Vicinage:   councils  not  always  from,  262. 
Voluntary  society,  110,  151. 
Voting:   in  church  meetings,  113,  147. 
Weathercock:    not  compass,  1. 
Webster,  Daniel:   and  Supreme  Court,  144. 
Widows:    as  church  officers,  176. 
Wig:   in  Boston  pulpit,  367. 

Woman's  Home  Missionary  Federation,  443,  444. 
Women:   in  church  business,  146;  as  church  assistants,  176;  church 

organizations  of,  194;  missionary  societies,  195;  in  the  ministry, 

219. 
Women's  Societies,  443;  W.  B.  M.,  443;  W.  B.  M.  L,  443;  W.  B. 

M.  P.,  443. 
Worcester:    Council  of  1889,  418. 
Worship,  Public:    essential  parts,  364,  365. 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  192. 
Young  People's  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  192. 
Young  Women's  Christian  Association,  192. 


DATE  DUE 

.r--**"-*^" 

HA&.i.i.fff 

*H**4,***,i^^ 

^ 

GAYLORD 

P.,NTEO,NU.SA. 

